Police Blotter – January 31, 2014

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of January 31, 2014. To be added to the station’s mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org.]

CAPTAIN SIMON SILVERMAN’S MESSAGE
A few people have asked me to give a little background on myself in this week’s newsletter:

I’ve been in the police service for over 26 years and have worked in a variety of assignments. I began my career with the U.C. Berkeley Police where I worked as a patrol officer and a bomb technician. After transferring to the SFPD, I was a patrol officer at Ingleside and Northern Stations, a member of the academy staff, an inspector in the Night Investigations Unit, and a patrol sergeant at Tenderloin and Mission Stations. After promotion to lieutenant, I was in charge of the field training program for several years. I headed up the Department’s Legal Division and then returned to patrol where I served as a watch commander at Mission, Southern and Park Stations. Most recently, I was in charge of the Homeland Security Unit before being promoted to captain and assigned to Richmond Station. Each of my assignments has taught me a great deal and I’m excited to put my experience to work in the service of this district.

Our next Community meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 6pm. It will be in the Community Room, here at Richmond Station, 461 6th Ave.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 01/24/14 at 3am, officers were patrolling the area of 11th and Geary when they observed two subjects. The officer recognized one of the males as being on probation. They stopped to speak with the males and determined that one of them had outstanding warrants for sex crimes from another county. The male was handcuffed and as the officer was opening the door to the patrol car the male started to run away. He was stopped by the officers and brought to the station. Further investigation revealed that the male was a registered sex offender out of compliance as he had moved and not updated his residence. The 25yr old male was booked on the warrant and being out of compliance.

On 01/24/14 at 7:05am, the victim was on a 38 Geary MUNI line when the suspect came and sat next to her. She noticed that he was wearing earphones and talking out loud. She initially thought he was on the phone but then heard him talking nonsense. Suddenly the suspect “flinched” which startled the victim who retreated into the corner of the seat. The suspect suddenly stood up and kicked her in the side of the head and said, “I can’t go back to jail.” The suspect exited the bus at 17th and Geary. The victim, who was uninjured, along with a witness provided a detailed description of the suspect who had fled the scene. Based on the description of the suspect, Richmond officers believed that they knew who it was and continued to search for him. At 10:30am, an officer saw the suspect get on a bus at Park Presidio and Geary and was able with the assistance of another officer to detain the suspect at the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza parking lot. When they detained the male he told the officers that he knew why he was being stopped, that he didn’t hurt that girl and he was acting in self defense to combat the evil she was giving off. The 39 year old male was charged with aggravated assault.

On 01/25/14 at 6pm, two brothers and a friend were sitting in their vehicle parked near their home on the 400 block of 26th Ave. They observed a male approach the front gate of their apartment building and tamper with the lock. Neither of the brothers recognized the male as a tenant or friend of the other occupants. The suspect was able to get the front gate open and entered the main lobby door, which is unlocked. The brothers then went to investigate and as they got to the front, the suspect was exiting with a package in his hand. They began to question him when suddenly he threw the package to the ground and ran. The 3 men chased him and finally caught up with him at 25th and California and wrestled him to the ground, holding onto the suspect until police arrived. The 26yr old suspect who was wanted on a parole violation was also charged with burglary.

On 01/25/14 at 8:25pm, officers were called to 17th and Lake on a report of a male rummaging through a neighbors vehicle. The caller went out to confront the suspect who then fled on foot. When officers arrived the vehicle was secured and free of damage. Another officer located the suspect at 18th and California and when conducting a records check, the suspect had numerous warrants for his arrest, including burglary and possession of stolen property. The 23yr old male was booked on the warrants.

On 01/28/14 at 3:18am, officers were called to the area of 3rd and Clement St on a report of subjects on the roof of a building, spraying graffiti. When officers arrived they walked to the front of the building and could hear the hissing and rattle sound of a spray can. The officers then saw a male on the roof spray painting the wall. There was a second suspect with the male who was standing by. Officers ordered the two off of the roof and they complied. They immediately recognized the male from a prior graffiti arrest. The male stated that the female that was with him had nothing to do with the graffiti and she had nothing to do with the tagging. Officers located 11 cans of spray paint and 9 markers on the roof. The suspect had photos as well of other places he had done graffiti. The 21yr old male was charged with felony vandalism.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 01/24/14 between 7am and 4:30pm on the 1400 block of Broderick, a suspect entered a flat through an unlocked window and took cash, an iPad and a game console. It appeared that the suspect entered through the tradesman’s door, up a drain pipe, and though the unlocked window.

On 01/27/14 on the 2100 block of Scott St, a construction foreman returned to the job site and saw that the padlock on the portable toilet had been broken off. Sometime later he returned and discovered suspicious containers that had a strong chemical smell emanating from them and evidence of a small fire. Officers arrived and with determined that it was suspicious and secured the area. SFPD EOD unit responded and render the scene safe.

Between 01/24/14, 7:30pm and 01/27/24, 7am on the 200 block of Spruce St, a suspect entered a home under construction and took tools from a lock box. The suspect entered by prying open a window.

Between 01/25/14, 1pm and 01/26/14, 11:20am on the 5800 block of California St, a suspect entered a garage and rummaged around a vehicle parked inside. There was no loss from the vehicle but the suspect took a bike. The suspect may have pried the front door to the building.

On 01/25/14 at 9:35pm, the victim was walking north on 44th Ave towards Cabrillo St. She noticed the two suspects behind her. She also saw that there were several other people on the block and vehicles coming in and out of garages. As soon as the block cleared, the suspect ran up to her and one of them punched her in the shoulder and pulled her purse from her arm. This caused her to fall to the ground and she sustained a gash on her elbow. The suspects fled the area and officers searching for the suspects located the victim’s purse and contents on the 6700 block of Fulton. There were no items missing from her bag. The suspect’s were described as two black males, 18-25yrs wearing dark clothing and dark beanies.

On 01/26/14 at 2:28pm, the victim was putting money into the parking meter on the 2400 block of Sutter St. The two suspects approached her and one of the males brandished a handgun. Her cell phone was taken from her hand and the suspects began to walk away. One of the suspects then turned around and yelled to her “Give me your purse” and started walking back towards her. The victim ran to a nearby building and began to yell for help. The suspects did not follow her and got into a white SUV that was parked nearby and fled the area. The suspects were described as two Hispanic males, 16-17yrs, one wearing a white shirt and a vest with light colored pants.

On 01/27/14 at 6am, a tenant of an apartment building left to go walk his dog. As he was leaving he noticed that packages for him and others had been delivered and were on the table in the front entry. When he came back at 6:30am he saw that all of the packages were gone. He thought that maybe a neighbor had moved the packages to the garage and went to check. As he entered he saw a male loading something into the back of a silver Jeep. The male called out to him that he knew this wasn’t his parking spot but that he was picking up something from another apartment and would be out of there shortly. The victim continued to look for the packages and realized the male in the silver jeep had taken them. He was described as a white male, 30yrs, wearing a light colored button down shirt.

Between 01/28/14, 4:45pm and 01/29/14, 7am on the 3600 block of Washington a suspect entered an unsecured home under construction and took tools.

On 01/28/14 at 10:40pm, a male was looking after a friend’s dogs inside Golden Gate Park at 25th and Lincoln. A witness said that the male was attempting to put a leash on one of the dogs when it began to attack him. A second dog also bit him several times. A passerby heard screams and attempted to assist, but was also bitten. Officers arrived on scene and were able to carry the victim to safety while others were trying to corral the dogs. One dog fled and was found the next day. The other dog had to be shot by officers because it was continuing to behave aggressively, could not be controlled and posed an immediate threat to public safety.

Between 01/29/14, 11:30pm and 01/30/14, 8:30am on the 300 block of 11th Ave, a suspect forced open a side door to the garage and took 4 bikes.

On 01/30/14, between 8:30am and 1:30pm on the 500 block of 12th Ave, a suspect gained entry into an apartment building via the front door which locks malfunctions. The suspect opened an interior hallway window and gained access into an apartment. The suspect took a laptop, iPad and a camera. Another tenant in the building told the officer that at 12pm a white male knocked on her apartment door looking for a male who he thought lived in the building. He was in his 30’s with dark blonde hair, wearing dark clothing.

On 01/31/14 at 2am, officers were called to 4th and Geary on a report of a male who was bleeding and possibly unconscious. The officers located the male who was extremely intoxicated. He told the officers that he had fallen. Another male who was nearby and also intoxicated told the officers that the victim had been punched several times by a male who was upset because the victim had apparently insulted a woman. The victim was transported to a local hospital.