Police Blotter – December 6, 2013

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of December 6, 2013. To be added to the station’s mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org.]

CAPTAIN SHARON FERRIGNO’S MESSAGE
Richmond Station officers and investigators routinely coordinate their efforts. The result of that coordination has resulted in some amazing arrests over the past month. Investigations can sometimes be painstaking. That was certainly the case in our recent arrest of persons wanted in connection with stolen autos and auto burglaries, the investigation encompassed several police districts and we are sharing the information with those officers. With the weather dropping to freezing levels our roadways are more treacherous. Slow down and look for pedestrian and bicyclist who are bundled up due to the cold and may not be as visible as usual. Frosty steamed up windows can also block our visibility. In this cold weather you probably need more time to get where you are going and when the weather is wet and freezing its important to reduce your speed.

We will not be having a community meeting in December. We will see you again after the New Year.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 11/25/13 at 12:38am, on the unit block of 18th Ave, a caller reported hearing the sound of glass break and when she looked out her window, she saw the suspect reaching into the front passenger window of a vehicle. The caller provided a description and officers located the male at 16th and California. He was in possession of a bag which had been taken from the vehicle and the registered owner identified the property as hers. The 35yr old male who is on probation was charged with burglary and being a sex registrant out of compliance for not registering within the proper time frame.

On 11/28/13 at 3:45pm, a footbeat officer was called to a beauty salon on the 400 block of Clement St. The salon was reporting that there was a male inside refusing to leave and yelling at the staff and customers. When the officer arrived he recognized the male from many prior contacts. The male was intoxicated and holding a shaver in his hand. The officer told him to put it down and leave the store. The male said, “I just want to cut my f*****g beard!” The officer attempted to detain the male; however he began to fight with the officer. With the assistance of other officers, the male was taken into custody. He was charged with trespassing, resisting arrest and several outstanding warrants.

On 11/29/13 at 12:10am, officers responded to a burglary in progress on the 2600 block of Sutter St. The caller stated that the suspect was breaking in from the rear of the premise. Officers arrived and saw that the back door had been pried open. As officers set up a perimeter, the suspect exited the building from a side door and was detained. A bag was located with items taken from the store. The 24 year old male was charged with burglary, possession of stolen property and burglar tools.

On 12/01/13 at 9:40pm, an officer was near the front desk of Richmond Station and saw a male in the lobby. The officer recognized the male as he had arrested him for burglary on May 15th. The suspect was apparently at the station to retrieve some of his property that had been booked at the time of his arrest. The officer ran the male through the system and discovered he had two outstanding warrants for his arrest from Modesto, CA. One was for burglary, the other was narcotic violations. The suspect was detained and charged accordingly.

On 12/02/13 at 9pm, officers observed a vehicle traveling east on Balboa towards 6th Ave. The vehicle was traveling with the driver’s door open and the driver holding onto the door handle. The vehicle continued south on 6th Ave at a high rate of speed, with the door open and passed the car in front of him. Officers stopped him at 6th Ave and Fulton. The driver said he was on his way to pick up his wife. He had an outstanding warrant for his arrest from Orange County and was booked accordingly.

Back on 02/28/13 on the 100 block of 25th Ave, a home was burglarized with the suspect smashing in the glass of the front door. Several pieces of jewelry were taken from the home. On 12/03/13 the suspect was identified by forensic evidence left at the scene and on 12/04/13 the 56yr old suspect was arrested on the 1700 block of Mission St.

On 12/04/13 at 11pm, officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on the 2800 block of California St. The officer could smell marijuana emanating from the vehicle. The driver is on probation and is subject to search conditions as a result of his probation. Officers located several Ziploc baggies of marijuana and in the trunk of the vehicle was a shotgun. The 28 year old male was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and narcotic and probation violations.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 11/26/13 at 2:30pm, the victim was walking on Bush St when a vehicle pulled up alongside of him. The driver, who spoke Italian and broken English, rolled down the window and asked for directions to the airport. After speaking for a few minutes, the driver told the victim that he worked for Armani and was a manager in a store in Milan, Italy. He told the victim that to repay him for his help; he would give him two leather jackets. Believing that it was genuine, the victim accepted the jacket. They continued the conversation and the suspect asked how much the victim thought an iPad would cost as he wanted to bring one back to Italy for his son. The victim told him around $200 dollars. When the suspect said he had no money and could he borrow it from the victim, the victim agreed and gave him the cash. The suspect provided his business card and said he would reimburse him as soon as he got back to Italy. When the victim got home he realized that the jackets were fake and he would most likely never see the $200 returned to him. The suspect was a white male between 45-50yrs, balding, with a darker complexion. He was driving a tan colored Infinity with Nevada license plates.

It should be noted that the same scam occurred on 19th Ave and Geary on 12/03/13 at 12:45pm. The male who was approached by the suspect was suspicious of the whole story and did not buy into it. The description of the male in this incident was similar, but this victim said that the vehicle was a dark colored Jeep SUV. In both incidents the suspect said his name was “Rocco.”

On 11/29/13, between 11:30am and 3:20pm on the 500 block of 33rd Ave, a suspect entered a garage and took a bike. The door may have been left open.

Between 11/29/13, 6:45pm and 12/02/13, 9am on the 4600 block of Geary, a suspect entered an office buy unknown means and gained access to the safe. The loss was cash.

On 11/29/13 between 7pm and 11:30pm on the 100 block of Commonwealth, a suspect entered a residence by smashing a glass door off of the patio. The suspect took a laptop, camera, desktop computer, laptop and two tablets computers.

Between 11/30/13, 9pm and 12/01/13, 9:45am on the 1900 block of Clement St, a suspect hopped the fence to the nursery and stole 10 Christmas trees.

On 12/02/13, between 2am and 5:15pm, on the 2700 block of Golden Gate Ave, a suspect pried open the front door of an apartment a took a cell phone, laptop and iPad.

On 12/02/13 at 5:25am, the victim was waiting at the bus stop on Geary at 28th Ave. She heard someone walking up behind her and as she turned around she heard a “buzzing” noise. She saw that the suspect had what appeared to be a stun gun in his hand and he placed it at her side. The next thing the victim knew was that she was on the ground and began kicking and screaming at the suspect. The suspect then used the stun gun on her left cheek and the victim then knocked it out of his hand. He picked it up and ran to a dark colored car and drove off. The suspect was described as an Asian male, 25-30yrs with short black hair. The victim received minor injuries and refused medical treatment.