A UC Berkeley student was carjacked at gunpoint outside a fraternity just before the fall semester’s commencement, with three armed men taking a 2021 Toyota Corolla.

This incident adds to a string of recent crimes, including attempted carjackings on campus causing concerns among parents and prospective students about the university’s safety.

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A University of California Berkeley student fell victim to a carjacking at gunpoint, a mere two days prior to the commencement of the fall semester, as reported by the local police.

The incident unfolded around 10:50 p.m. on a Monday, when three individuals armed with a firearm allegedly ambushed the student on Channing Way, situated between College and Piedmont Avenues. The assailants subsequently made off with a black 2021 Toyota Corolla.

UC Berkeley, known for its academic reputation, finds itself marred by recent security concerns. Earlier on the same day, the University of California Police Department issued a warning to students and staff regarding an attempted carjacking involving a pistol and a screwdriver, which occurred in a parking lot behind Cal Memorial Stadium.

The account of this incident was relayed by Berkeley Scanner, a local news site. The attempted carjacking transpired when two individuals were seated in a parked vehicle. The assailant purportedly utilized a screwdriver in an attempt to break the car window, but the victims swiftly reversed and managed to escape.

The current trend of crime in the college town is worrisome. There have been no less than 16 carjackings reported thus far this year, surpassing the numbers seen in previous years. Notably, the city of Berkeley typically averages around 14 carjackings annually, as per data from the Berkeley Police Department.

In addition to the rise in carjackings, property and violent crime within the city have surged, reaching a decade-high in 2022. Police Chief Jen Louis disclosed to Fox News that this increase is particularly concerning for a city where out-of-state students pay approximately $44,000 in tuition to attend UC Berkeley.

According to police statistics, there has been a 5% increase in robberies this year compared to the same timeframe in 2022.

The escalated crime rates have stirred unease within the community and prompted parents to question the safety of sending their children to the esteemed institution.

An apprehensive potential student took to Reddit to voice concerns, asking, “Is UC Berkeley really as dangerous as my mom says it is?”

The post highlighted parental anxieties, with one commenter acknowledging the validity of the concern while also suggesting an element of exaggeration.

“She is yelling at me every day convinced that if I end up going to Berkeley I will die the day I get there,” the post reads.

A current student responded, “Berkeley is not super safe, and your mom’s concern is valid, but she is definitely overstating it.”

Berkeley was among the many liberal communities that opted to “defund the police” in 2020. Their city council approved several reforms aimed to dramatically cut the $70 million police department budget.

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“What we did approve last night were landmark public safety reforms,” explained Mayor Jesse Arreguin to ABC 7 News. “To begin a year-long process to re-imagine public safety and look at shifting responsibilities out of police department to non-sworn positions”

In fact, the city ended up cutting about 12% of its police budget by freezing 30 positions.

In May of 2022 the mayor and city council had a change of heart.

“A lot of the conversation nationally has been focused on ‘defunding’ or abolishing or cutting the police department,” Mayor Arreguín told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We refunded and we also expressed support for other approaches. We found a balance.”

The council voted to restore the frozen 30 law enforcement positions from the prior year.

It would seem Berkeley’s defund the police program was an utter failure and unfreezing those positions did little to abate their violent crime problem.

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