Police Blotter – October 16, 2009

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of October 16, 2009. To be added to the station’s mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org or visit their website.]

CAPTAIN RICHARD CORREIA’S MESSAGE
Year to date Richmond Station has received over 700 reports of vehicle break-ins

Want to help reduce the chance of vehicle break-ins and vehicle theft? Here are some tips to minimize the chance of being targeted:

• Don’t leave ANY personal or valuable items inside a vehicle.
• Lock all valuables inside the trunk before arriving at your destination.
• Doors should be locked and windows up.
• Use anti-theft devices like “The Club” or an alarm system.
• Removable stereo systems should never be left in a vehicle.
• GPS mapping devices – dash or windshield mounted- should never be left in a vehicle.
• Report break-ins and thefts to the San Francisco Police Department at (415) 553-0123, at any district police station, or online at sfgov.org/police.
• Call the police if you see someone tampering with a vehicle.

To report a crime in progress call 9-1-1

Please attend the next Community/Police Forum on October 20, 2009 at 1 p.m. at the Richmond Village Beacon, which is located at Washington High School. The Beacon is best reached through the 30th Avenue gate located just south of Anza Street. Officers will be posted nearby to provide direction to the meeting.

We are in the process of forming a community advisory board for the Richmond Police District. If the notion of participating interests you, kindly send me an email and I will send you some literature that describes the functions of the board, time commitments and objectives.

During the past week, there were 20 traffic accidents, 6 involving injuries. There were 14 citations issued for driving without a license or driving on a suspended license. There were 4 arrests for driving under the influence.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 10/09/09 at 11:35pm officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at Divisadero and Sutter Streets. There was a moderate smell of alcohol coming from the car and the driver had no identification. The officer had the driver exit the vehicle and further investigation revealed that driver’s license had been suspended. While standing with the officer, the driver suddenly dropped a large amount of money onto the ground. When the officer questioned as to why he did this, the driver replied that it would appear to be suspicious to have all that money on him. He was instructed to put the money back into his pocket and when asked if he had any narcotics in the vehicle, the male replied, “I have seven pounds of marijuana in the car.” The suspect, a 26 year old was charged with possession of narcotics for sale, driving under the influence, and driving with a suspended license.

On 10/10/09 at 2:45pm plainclothes officers were conducting an investigation on the 3200 block of Geary regarding the use of a stolen credit card to purchase six Maltese puppies. The suspect was to return to the store to pick up certification papers for the animals. The officers observed the suspect as he arrived at the store and he was taken into custody. He told the officers that he did purchase the dogs, and then sold them to other unknown parties. The 31 year old male was charged with fraudulent use of a credit card, burglary and theft of animals.

On 10/11/09 at 1:30am officers were patrolling in the area of Clement and 32nd Avenue and saw a suspect vandalizing a billboard with graffiti. As officers approached the suspect, he threw down his marker and tried to run away. He was detained by the officers who discovered several other markers in the suspect’s belongings. The 23 year old male suspect was charged with vandalism.

On 10/11/09 at 5:35pm plainclothes officers were in the area of the Academy of Sciences regarding a call of a possible auto burglary suspect. The officers located the suspect and conducted surveillance as the suspect walked through the park looking into parked vehicles. The suspect left the park and the officers continued to watch as he looked into cars in the area of Lincoln Way, Irving and Judah. The officers finally detained the suspect at 2nd Avenue and Lincoln Way. The officers located a GPS in the suspect’s possession and through a search of the GPS’s memory were able to locate the owner of the system and contact him via telephone. The owner told the officers earlier in the day that his car had been broken into at Fulton and Stanyan and his GPS was taken. The owner was en route to his home in Los Angeles and would confirm the serial number of his GPS once he arrived home. The suspect, a 33 year old male who is on parole was charged with possession of stolen property, a violation of narcotics laws and parole violation. The victim from Los Angeles called back the next day and to advise that the serial number of his GPS matched the one in the suspect’s possession.

On 10/12/09 at 8:55pm officers responded to a call of an assault in progress at Balboa and 41st Avenue. The first officer arrived on the scene and the victim pointed out the suspect who was screaming and flailing his arms as the officer approached him. The suspect’s girlfriend tried to restrain him, but he attacked the officer. At one point the suspect tackled the officer and they both fell to the ground. The officer was finally able to place the suspect into handcuffs and several other officers arrived on scene to assist. The girlfriend told the officers that the suspect had consumed a “weed brownie” and shortly thereafter began acting “weird and agitated.” And that the suspect ran out of his home and jumped onto the back of a passerby, who then called the police. The 25 year old male was charged with threats to an officer, battery of a police officer and resisting arrest. The initial passerby refused medical treatment or further police action.

On 10/14/09 at 1:03am officers responded to a call of a burglary in progress on the 6200 block of Geary. The caller had seen the suspect in an office that appeared to have been ransacked. The officers arrived and through the front window could see a suspect sitting in a chair. After repeated knocks on the locked door, the suspect came and opened it and was detained. Repeated attempts to contact the owner were unsuccessful. The suspect told the officers that he was homeless and was looking for a place to sleep and found the front door unlocked. The suspect a 24 year old male was cited for trespassing and released.

On 10/14/09 at 5:23am officers were called to the 6300 block of Geary on a report of a shoplifter that was fighting with store employees. When officers arrived they saw that the male suspect was being detained by the employees. The officers also saw that this suspect was the same male that was found in the office on the 6200 block of Geary at 1:03am. They were told the following; the suspect originally came into the store at 9:00pm the previous evening and began opening merchandise and moving items around. The suspect was asked to leave by store security and once he was gone they noticed that there was a lot of damaged merchandise around the store. When the suspect returned at 5:15am the security guard recognized him and informed the manager of the earlier incident. When the manager approached the male, the suspect punched him in the face and began to run around the store. As he was running up and down the aisles the suspect knocked items off the shelves and displays in an attempt to trip up the manager who was chasing him. At one point the suspect tried to leave through an emergency exit. The manager caught up with the suspect and got him to the ground were he was held until police arrived. The 24 year old male was charged with aggravated assault, robbery and vandalism.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 10/09/09 between 1:00am and 8:00am on the 700 block of 9th Ave, a suspect gained entry into a residence and took cash, keys and a debit card. There were no signs of forced entry.

Between 10/09/09 and 10/13/09 on the 7000 block of California St, a suspect gained entry into several classrooms and took laptops and cameras. There were no signs of forced entry.

On 10/11/09 between 10:00am and 1:00pm on the 400 block of Arguello, a suspect gained entry into a garage and forced entry into a storage locker. The suspect took a stereo receiver.