Emeryville Police arrested four youths after former mayor and current Emeryville resident Ken Bukowski was assaulted under the Powell Street overpass near Shellmound Street last night. Police won't release the names of the arrested youths or details of the case until next week. At least some of the arrested are juveniles a police representative said.
A lucid Ken Bukowski told the Tattler the group attempted to rob him at gun point under the bridge at approximately 10:30 but he refused to cooperate,* after which the four assailants knocked him to the ground, kicked and pistol whipped him. Mr Bukowski sustained a head injury and he sought medical attention on his own recognizance.
The assailants fled on foot after passing cars on Shellmound Street noticed the attack. Police gave chase, apprehending the four suspects near 59th and Doyle Street.
Mr Bukowski said the gun appeared to be a .45 caliber pistol, "It was a large gun" he said. He said the four assailants got nothing from him. This morning, he was waiting for a friend to take him to the hospital to address his head wound, "I think I need stitches" he said.
*Correction- Previously we reported that Mr Bukowski said to his assailants, "f*** you, I'm not giving you anything". Now Mr Bukowski reports he ran away after the gun was pointed at him. He says he thought the quote but didn't actually say it to the youth brandishing the gun.
Ken Bukowski is an Emeryville Icon. He has given a lot more to this community, than he has extracted.
ReplyDeleteThis event is tragic, and certainly not fair. My household wishes him a speedy recovery.
As for the assailants, throw the book at 'em.
I'm sure local police departments are happy about his response. Your wallet or your life?
ReplyDeleteI wish to give the EPD lots of praise for what they are doing for the EPD community. I don't know is these are same "four youths" that corralled a number of felony and misdemeanor that been brought to my attention in recent years. Holding up anyone with a gun including ANY crime in Emeryville is serious and now that they got them, I am so hoping these guys never get out.
ReplyDeleteEach of you, pick up your cell phone and make sure that EPD, EFD are in your phones. Learn to speed dial and take photos without looking at them.
Prison in the United States is an awful place. If you are thinking of a crime or know of anyone that does commit any crime, we all owe it to ourselves put a stop to it.
Only 3 got out and one is on trial
DeleteWallet or Life? Are you talking about YOUR worthless life? Make my day PUNK!!!!!
ReplyDeleteKung Fu Master.
Emeryville, Unite and lets not let these losers even begin to threaten us. Way to go Ken.
ReplyDeletePS... I personally miss you as part of Emeryville City.
So glad we have a police department that shows up in time and takes care of business. Prompt response is the main thing we need from the police, the main thing that makes them an effective deterrent to bad behavior major or petty. We are much better off than Oakland and even Berkeley in this regard. The smarter criminals know that Oakland is a much lower risk location to do their bad acts. The guys who got caught are fools: They picked the wrong victim in the wrong city.
ReplyDeleteShout out to Ken Bukowski: best wishes for a speedy recovery.
This alleyway is a trouble-spot and one that should be "flagged" by the EPD. No excuses. To me it spotlights the better need for more visible access ways across our divided city ... like say a bike/ped bridge (hmmm)?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, glad they got 'em and hope Ken is recovering. Thanks for Sharing Tattler!
-Rob
EvilleEye.com
There is the proof that Emeryville is too dangerous for bike/walking paths.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! We should all just go back inside, close the doors and draw the shades. Life is too short to go outside in Emeryville and risk death. Man this town is scary! How can you all stand to live here?
ReplyDeleteWhat if those little kids were acting out and actually victims of society and the system and made a huge mistake.. do they deserve another chance? Teach them a valuable life lesson to save their lives also research thier needs and challenges and provide resources... would this too be justice??
ReplyDeleteThat's an awful lot to do when they are sticking a gun in your face and beating you with it. What if...what if..what if they are really truly just punks and need a swift kick up the bum and a stint in jail? The point at which a "little" kid is holding up an adult with a gun is way past the point which hugs and kisses are effective.
DeleteI agree with the previous comment. I am a resident of Emeryville who has actually experienced some of the crime and met and received the assistance of our prompt, caring, and somehow always available police force.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, I also worked with some phenomenal junior youth ages 11-14 in Emeryville as well. They lived in an area with many societal ills and have faced extreme difficulties in their families, and still wanted to spend their weekends doing service projects and helping the community to appreciate its diversity and to be examples of peace. They supported one another and were great older siblings to their younger siblings.
I believe that true justice would examine BOTH sides and would also have a jury that represents multiple perspectives and preferably, a judge who is a black man or at least a person of color.
i was with you until you ended your comment with:
ReplyDelete"and preferably, a judge who is a black man or at least a person of color."
why bring race into this discussion? would a caucasian judge automatically be biased from making a fair and just decision. isnt this reverse discrimination on your part?
to be clear, i understand your concerns, and yes, racism and stereotyping are still common practices amongst the ignorant or uneducated, but i fail to see how labeling someone as a "black man" or a "person of color" helps to erase the dividing lines that keep us from being one people.
reminds me of how i heard so many celebrate when we got a "black man" as president. never heard anyone cheer that a person of character or with good policies was elected. instead the focus was on skin color. i think Dr. King would be disheartened to see how far we've yet to go before reaching the "promised land", with those who claim to want equality still focusing on superficial qualities and throwing around labels.
if we stop pointing out the trivial things which make us different, perhaps we can begin to look at just how much we have in common.
These comments that Americans, with our shameful racist (continuing) history, should somehow not see the election of an African American President as something uplifting or hopeful or joyous is baffling. What is the point you're trying to make here with this line of thinking?
DeleteI find this sort of talk disingenuous and suspect. Why would someone not racist harbor these bizarre ideas?
i think its wonderful that all people be given equal opportunity regardless of race, sex, religion, etc. and that is cause for celebration, without a doubt.
Deletehowever, i also think that if the ultimate end that we are after is an egalitarian society, then reinforcing labels which divide and categorize us are the wrong approach. why are people still viewed as "white", "black", "mexican", etc? when i look around, what i see is "person", "person", "person". if i am asked to speak about a persons qualities, i choose to focus on the content of their character, and the intentions behind their actions, not on their ethnic background. so long as we keep saying "this is this", and "that is that", we continue to spotlight and exaggerate a difference amongst the populace. categorizing people because of superficial attributes further emphasizes contrast.
so let me try to clarify: the nation should be proud that one more wall has been torn down as we march towards equality. and while i dont know much about this person's (Obama'a) political aspirations, if the causes he claims to stand for are seen as good for the future of our country, then that too should be seen as a reason to rejoice. what i found disturbing was just how many people i heard talk about electing him FOR NO REASON other than the fact that he was seen as a person of color. not once did i hear mention of this being the right person for the job, or a good man in general.
i believe we want the same outcome after all. its just my opinion that rather than this being a full step forward towards our goal, it was more of a stumble in the right direction, as so many are still ONLY looking at race.
(my apologies for hijacking the thread. if my own intentions are still confusing, please contact me through another means, and ill be happy to discuss the topic further.)
This is fatuous.
DeleteReaders will excuse me as I engage in a little race taunting myself: To this commenter, do you happen to be...oh I don't know...White? (and male?)
Publicworker is being disingenuous when they claim all they see is "person" "person" "person". I call bullshit! Do you really whitewash the entire society with the same brush? America is not a homogenous melting pot but rather a salad where each individual adds their particular cultural background, heritage, upbringing and experience to the wonderful mix of flavors. Disregarding an individual's race disregards their individual culture and heritage. Please don't paint me with the same brush, just afford me equal respect. I'm different than you and proud of it. It was wonderful that an African American was elected to the Presidency. It's about time! Is that the reason I voted him? NOPE! That doesn't mean I can't be proud that America, with it's violent history of racism, elected Obama for President. It's huge!
DeleteI think Publicworker1 is really Steven Colbert! :-)
Deleteim sorry but i was one of those juveniles i came from the side and hit him and we started beating him but we got caught and we all out
ReplyDelete