Crime

In each incident, the culprit opened a woman’s car door and grabbed her purse, police said.

Berkeley police are investigating separate reports Sunday about purses being taken in broad daylight from drivers who had stopped at local gas stations.

Both incidents happened in busy areas Sunday afternoon within about 20 minutes of each other, Berkeley police said

The first incident took place at about 1:40 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. and Hearst Way.

A woman was stopped at the gas station when a stranger opened her car door and grabbed her purse, police said. He left in a dark sedan.

About 20 minutes later, a thief opened a woman’s car door at Chevron, at 2996 Telegraph Ave. (at Ashby Avenue), and took her purse.

Both cases remain under investigation and police are working to determine whether they may be related.

Update, 8:10 p.m. We heard from a woman after publication that something similar had happened to her in Berkeley on Saturday morning.

She said she was at the Shell gas station at University Avenue and Bonar Street at 8:20 a.m. Saturday when someone stole her backpack out of her car.

“I was paying for gas (so no more than a foot away from my car)” when someone opened her passenger door and took the bag.

The Scanner will continue to follow the story.