Cotopaxi’s Fourth Street storefront in Berkeley was sitting dark and listed as temporarily closed yesterday after thieves used a pickup truck as a battering ram, crashing through the shop’s glass doors in an early morning hit and escaping with thousands of dollars in gear. Surveillance footage shows the truck backing straight through the entrance at about 1 AM, and a passerby later came across the wrecked doorway and reported the scene. When contacted, employees did not pick up the store phone, and the shop’s official online listing showed the location as closed at the time it was checked.
How police say the burglary unfolded
According to The Berkeley Scanner, Berkeley police responded around 6:30 a.m. after a passerby reported shattered glass at the outdoor retailer. Officers reviewed surveillance footage that showed two men and a woman backing a pickup truck through the glass doors at about 1 a.m. Police told the outlet that the crew made off with more than $20,000 worth of merchandise and that, for reasons that remain unclear, the store alarm did not activate during the break in. The investigation is ongoing, authorities said.
Where the shop is and what it sells
Cotopaxi’s official store listing puts the Berkeley shop at 1915 4th St., Suite 101, in the city’s popular Fourth Street retail strip, with a listed phone number of (510) 833-3399. The Utah-based company, known for its brightly colored outdoor gear and backpacks, runs multiple brick-and-mortar locations around the United States and maintains a dedicated page for the Berkeley store. The listing identifies the Fourth Street spot as one of Cotopaxi’s established retail outlets in the Bay Area.
Ram raids and retail theft in the East Bay
Vehicle-assisted break ins are not exactly a new trick in Berkeley. A February 2025 ram raid at Looking Glass Photo & Camera in West Berkeley led to roughly $50,000 in photography equipment vanishing in a matter of minutes, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. At the same time, some key property crime categories have actually dipped in recent years, even as thieves appear to be leaning into more coordinated and sophisticated tactics, according to Berkeleyside. Across the region, retailers and small business owners have been weighing security upgrades in response to a series of high value commercial burglaries.
Police investigating and how to report tips
Berkeley police say the Cotopaxi case remains under active investigation and that officers are reviewing surveillance footage and other evidence, according to The Berkeley Scanner. Anyone with information is urged to call the Berkeley Police Department’s non-emergency line at (510) 981-5900 or use the city’s online reporting tools. Hoodline will update this story as city officials or Cotopaxi release additional details.
