Police Blotter – December 11, 2014

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of December 11, 2014. To be added to the station’s mailing list, email sfpdrichmondstation@sfgov.org.]

Battery on Elderly Female – Attempt to locate witnesses
On Wednesday 12/03/2014 between 9:30 am and 11:00 am, a 77 year old female victim was assaulted and pushed to the ground at Muni Bus Stop # 16264 located at 5301 Geary Blvd (at 17th Avenue).

The victim was helped to her feet by two people who witnessed the incident. The victim did not get the names of the man and woman who assisted her. The victim discovered later that her right arm was badly broken as a result of this incident.

Richmond Station requests that these two Good Samaritans come forward and assist us in identifying the suspect in this incident please Contact Richmond Station: Phone (415)-666-8000 or email us at sfpdrichmondstation@sfgov.org.

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The officers of Richmond Station are committed to traffic safety which is why you often read about them making arrests for driving with a suspended or expired license in our weekly newsletters.

Not surprisingly, a 2012 study by the California DMV noted that suspended and unlicensed drivers are more dangerous than drivers with a valid license. The study found that suspended and unlicensed drivers are almost three times as likely to cause a fatal collision.

When SFPD officers cite a person who is driving with a suspended or expired license (or who has never had a license), they do not let that person drive off. There are three options for what happens next:

The car can be parked, a licensed driver can drive the car away, or the car can be towed.

In cases like this, the law and SFPD policy allow an officer to tow the vehicle only when one or more of the following factors are present:

1. The vehicle is parked illegally or is a traffic hazard.
2. There is a risk of theft or vandalism if the vehicle is left at the scene.
3. There is a likelihood of immediate unlawful operation of the vehicle.

We will do our best to deal with dangerous drivers, but they are out there so be careful!

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Our next community meeting is December 16th, 2014 at 7:00 PM. (Time change requested by attendees)
Location: Richmond Station Community Room (Location Subject to Change)

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS & INCIDENTS
(Regarding some of the incidents in the weekly newsletter. We are not always able to give a full or complete account of what has occurred. We do not want to furnish information about ongoing investigations which may be prejudicial or interfere. We do our best to give a general overview of incidents within the district.)

On December 4, 2014 at 9 PM Officers Yee and Serrano were on patrol in the area of John F. Kennedy and Great Highway. The officers responded to assist at the scene of an injury collision which involved a vehicle and a skateboarder. While the officers were conducting their investigation into the collision it was determined the driver was possibly under the influence of narcotics. Officer Yee conducted a DUI investigation which resulted in the driver being booked at County jail on felony DUI charges.

On December 5, 2014 at 8:45 AM Officers Ferretti and Macaulay responded to Emerson and Geary regarding a complaint about a homeless encampment. The officers contacted three subjects at the location and while conducting a computer query discovered one was a missing juvenile from San Jose and another had outstanding arrest warrants. The missing juvenile was returned and the subject with the warrants was booked at County jail without further incident.

On December 5, 2014 at 5:10 PM Officers Mulliken and Alexander responded to the Safeway at 850 La Playa regarding a theft. The officers spoke to the security guard who explained that during this incident the suspect had made threats towards the employees. When the officers conducted a computer check on the suspect involved they discovered that there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The suspect was arrested and transported to jail without further incident.

On December 6, 2014 at 4:33 AM Officer’s Yee and Rotschi were dispatched to 16th and Geary regarding a male who had just broken a window in the area. Prior to getting to the location a male suspect was observed in the area who matched the description and was detained by Officers McFall and Anderson. The witness in this incident was able to positively identify the suspect who was responsible for the broken window. It should be noted that the male was heavily intoxicated which was the result of a Christmas party he had attended earlier in the evening. The male was arrested and booked at County jail without further incident.

On December 6, 2014 at 7:08 PM Officers Lok and Wong responded to the 500 block of Clement Street regarding a theft complaint. The officers arrived on scene and officer Lok recognized the subject who was being detained. Officer Lok knew the subject was on parole and contacted his parole agent. The subject was booked at County jail for a parole violation and theft from a merchant.

On December 6, 2014 at 9:59 PM Officers Chu and Perez responded to 10th and Cabrillo regarding a street robbery. The victim told officers that she was standing at the intersection of 10th and Cabrillo waiting for a prearranged ride to pick her up. The suspect approached the victim on foot and produced a handgun which he pointed in the victim’s direction. The suspect told the victim not to scream and then grabbed her phone from her hand. The suspect fled on foot northbound on 10th Ave. along with two other male suspects. The victim in this incident was not injured and the investigation continues…

On December 7, 2014 at 5:24 PM Officers Lok and Finigan responded to the 400 block of Funston Avenue regarding a complaint of five males drinking alcohol on the sidewalk. The officers contacted the males regarding the issue and a computer query revealed one of the subjects had an outstanding arrest warrant. Four of the subjects were moved along and the fifth was booked at County jail for the warrant without further incident.

On December 8, 2014 at 2:15 AM Officers Kawaguchi and Campbell responded to the area of Sutter and Baker streets regarding a reported robbery. When the officers arrived in the area they spoke to the reporting party who happened to be a taxi driver. The driver stated he picked up three passengers in the Union Square area of the city and after driving to their destination they paid their fare and exited the vehicle. One of the passengers then approached the driver’s side window, reached inside grabbing the driver’s work cell phone which was mounted to the dash board. The driver got out of his cab and attempted to get his phone back. It was at this time the suspect produced a gray semiautomatic handgun and pointed it at the driver’s chest. The suspect ordered the driver to give him his personal cell phone and his money, fearing for his safety the driver returned to his cab. The suspect approached the driver again and made an attempt to reach in and grab the driver’s personal cell phone. The driver fearing for his life fled the area. The driver was uninjured during this incident and the investigation continues…

On December 9, 2014 at 4:06 PM Officer Flannery was on patrol in the area of Geary and 15th Ave when he saw a black Ford Explorer with expired registration. The officer pulled over the vehicle to give the driver a ticket and discovered that the driver had an expired license. The officer cited the driver for multiple violations.

On December 10, 2014 at 7:18 PM Officer Flannery was on patrol in the area of 4th Ave and Cabrillo when he saw a vehicle with a mechanical violation. The officer initiated a traffic stop and contacted the driver. A computer query of the driver’s information showed the driver had a suspended license. The driver was cited for multiple violations.

On December 12, 2014 at 11:01 AM Officer Neil was on patrol in the area of Geary and 17th and when he saw a vehicle fail to stop at a red light while making a right hand turn. Officer Neil who was on bicycle patrol managed to contact the driver regarding the violation. A computer query revealed that the driver’s license had been suspended for a prior failure to appear. The driver was cited for driving on a suspended license and the red light violation.