Police Blotter – May 4, 2012

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of May 4, 2012. To be added to the station’s mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org.]

CAPTAIN ERIC VINTERO’S MESSAGE
Multi-unit apartment auto-burglaries:
The Richmond District has recently seen a spike in auto-burglaries occurring inside of the shared garages of multi-unit apartment buildings. Burglars are gaining entry into many of the buildings because the garage door was left open. All of the cars which were broken into had valuables inside (which were visible). Please remember not to leave any valuables inside of your parked vehicle. Many of these types of apartment buildings are easy to enter and are often targeted by burglars. Burglars are opportunists who walk, drive, or ride their bikes around the neighborhood looking for a “soft” target. You can greatly reduce your chance of having your car broken into by never leaving anything inside of a parked vehicle. Also, remember to secure all doors (including the garage door) to your residence. Call 911 to report any suspicious activity or people. We will be increasing our patrols in areas where we see similar patterns.

Doyle Drive Weekend Recap:
There was only one reported minor injury accident this weekend. It occurred on MLK Drive and Crossover Drive inside of Golden Gate Park. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of CALTRANS, Park Presidio Parkway , MTA, SFPD, CHP , US PARK police, and other assisting agencies, this weekends Doyle Drive closure was an overall success.

Subway (5650 Geary Blvd.):
The Subway sandwich restaurant located at 5650 Geary Blvd., has applied for an extended hours permit to be able to stay open for 24 hours. There will be a SF Entertainment Commission Hearing on Tuesday May, 8th at 6:30 pm at City Hall, room 400 regarding this permit application as well as other applications throughout the city. All are welcome to attend to voice opposition or recommendation for this permit.

Our next Community meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 7pm. It will be in the Community Room, here at Richmond Station.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 04/27/12 at 6:10pm, officers responded to the area of Arguello and Anza on a report of a male yelling at passerby’s, threatening to kill them. Officers located the suspect and determined that he had an outstanding warrant for robbery from Alameda County. The suspect, a 45 year old male, was booked.

On 04/29/12, an officer was patrolling the area of the Lily Pond inside Golden Gate Park off of Middle Drive East. He came across an encampment and determined that one of the males had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for a narcotic violation. The 22 year old male was booked.

On 04/30/12 at 1:52pm, an officer was patrolling the area of Geary and Beaumont when he observed the suspect urinating on the side of a building. The officer detained the male who stated that he had no identification and that he had left his wallet at a friend’s home. The officer had the male sit on the curb while continuing to speak to him and the suspect suddenly pulled his feet in as if he was preparing to stand and run. The officer told him to stay seated and when told he was going to be placed in handcuffs, the suspect moved his hands to the front of his body to prevent the officer from handcuffing him. The officer after a short struggle was able to detain the male. The suspect was told that without identification, he could not be issued a citation at the scene and released. The suspect finally admitted that his wallet was in the vehicle and told the officer where to find it. When the officer opened the driver side door, he could see in the side pocket of the door a large quantity of pills which was later determined to be Ecstasy. He also located a large plastic bag filled with marijuana. The 20 year old male charged with various narcotic related violations.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
Between 04/27/12, 12pm and 04/28/12, 11:30AM on the 200 block of 2nd Ave, a suspect gained entry into a garage and broke into a vehicle parked inside. The suspect took a pair of sunglasses. There were no signs of forced entry into the garage.

Between 04/27/12, 6:30pm and 04/28/12, 8am on the 300 block of 8th Ave, a suspect gained entry into a garage by unknown means. Once inside the suspect broke the window of a vehicle parked in the garage and took two pairs of sunglasses.

On 04/28/12 at 1:50am, the victim was walking on the 2800 block of California St . He heard a noise behind him and when he turned around, he saw a male behind him but in a distance. He continued walking when a short time later he was struck in behind his ear with an unknown object. He turned around and saw the male that had been behind him, along with another male, and they ordered him to give up his bag and phone. The victim complied and the suspects fled south on Baker St. The suspects were described as Hispanic males, 18-24 yrs of age; one wearing a baggie gray sweatshirt, the other was only described as heavy set.

On 04/28/12 at 3:15am, a witness was walking home on the 2900 block of Jackson St. As he passed a residence he noticed that the front and garage doors were both wide open and called 911. Officers arrived on scene and were able to contact the homeowners who had been in bed, asleep. The victim surveyed the home and saw that two bikes were missing from the garage.

Between 04/28/12, 9:30pm and 04/29/12, 6:30am, three different apartment building garages were broken into on the 4400, 4600 and 4700 block of Balboa. In each incident the suspect broke into cars parked inside and took GPS’s, a DVD player and cash. One of the victims reported hearing her garage door open around 3:00am, but thought it was another tenant in the building coming home.

Between 04/28/12, 11:40pm and 04/29/12, 9:20am on the 400 block of 34th Ave, a suspect gained entry into an
apartment building by placing a thin strip of metal between the front door frame and lock. The suspect was then able to access the garage and broke out the windows of three vehicles parked inside. The suspect took GPS’s and CD’s.

On 04/29/12 at 10:45pm, the victim got onto an outbound 38 Geary MUNI line from the downtown area. The victim
noticed the suspects getting on the bus near Powell St , one of whom sat directly behind him. The victim then got off the bus at 17th and Geary Bl and was waiting for the light to change to cross the street. The suspects stood next to him and one of them tried to talk to the victim. The victim speaks very limited English and told the suspect he didn’t understand him. The victim began to cross the street with the suspects still following. The victim noticed that one now had a hammer in his hand and told the victim to give up his phone. The victim got scared and began to run when the suspect hit him in the arm and rib cage with the hammer. The victim continued to run and was tackled by the suspect and ended up on the ground. The other two suspects began to kick the victim while the first suspect took the victims phone from his pocket and rosary bead bracelet from his wrist. They then fled east on Geary. The suspects were described as Hispanic or white males, 18-20 years of age, one wearing a black beanie and white t-shirt, another had a black hooded sweatshirt and dark pants. The victim refused medical treatment.

Between 04/30/12, 2:30pm and 05/01/12, 11:45am on the 1200 block of Anza, a suspect gained entry into a garage and broke into a vehicle parked inside. The suspect took a GPS and coins.

Between 04/30/12, 10pm and 05/01/12, 6am on the 1000 block of Anza, a vehicle parked inside a garage was broken into and an iPod was taken. There were no signs of forced entry into the garage.

On 05/01/12, between 11:40am and 5:45pm on the 600 block of 33rd Ave , a suspect gained entry into an apartment and took two laptops and jewelry. The victims said there was something wrong with the main door into the building and it is often left ajar.