Police Blotter – May 1, 2015

SFPD Richmond District Police Station
Weekly Update 05-01-2015
From Captain Simon Silverman

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Here are some of the 822 incidents handled by Richmond Station this week:

STOLEN BICYCLE
04-23-2015 8:30 PM to 04-24-2015 9:30 AM
Clement & 6th Ave
The students of George Peabody Elementary School participated in a bike to school day (escorted by officers from Richmond Station). Two of the students’ bikes were locked up overnight at the school during which time the cable locks securing them were cut and the bikes were stolen.
Captain’s Note: Bike to school day is supposed to teach children the joys and benefits of bicycle commuting. Sadly, the kids also learned that there are thieves out there who are callous enough to steal a child’s bicycle. Cable and chain locks alone are not effective. Check out the SF SAFE Bikes web page for the best way to lock your bike. http://www.safebikes.org/learn-how-to-lock-your-bike.html

INJURY TRAFFIC COLLISION
MLK & Chain of Lakes (Golden Gate Park)
04-25-2015 4:12 AM
A Porsche was traveling eastbound on MLK at an unsafe speed when the driver ran off the road and collided with a tree. He told officers that he was having a phone conversation of a sexual nature (it’s unknown whether this conversation was hands free as required by the vehicle code). He suffered major injuries and major damage to his car. He was cited for speeding and for driving with a suspended license.

MENTAL HEALTH CALL
LaPlaya & Fulton
04-25-2015 7:29 AM
A man called 911 to say that he wanted to kill himself. Officers arrived and found him crying and asking for their help. He was transported to the hospital.
Captain’s Note: SFPD officers are often the first point of contact for people who are in urgent need of mental health services.

ARREST: DUI / TRAFFIC COLLISION
Jackson & Divisadero
04-25-2015 10:15 PM
Officers responded to a non-injury traffic collision and found that the driver was under the influence of alcohol and drugs. She had two empty champagne bottles, a half ounce of marijuana and psychoactive prescription medication in the car. She claimed that she had consumed just “one beer” about eight hours earlier.
Captain’s Note: Driving under the influence of prescription medication, over the counter medication or marijuana (including medical marijuana), is a crime. The key issue with any substance used is the driver’s impairment.

INJURY TRAFFIC COLLISION
Pine & Steiner
04-26-2015 12:15 PM
An Acura was westbound on Pine when the driver made an unsafe lane change and struck a Pontiac that was also westbound on Pine. This forced the Pontiac to collide with two other parked cars and resulted in minor injuries to both drivers. The Acura driver was cited.

INJURY TRAFFIC COLLISION
Arguello & Geary
04-26-2015 5:56 PM
The driver of a Honda struck a tandem bicycle causing injuries to both cyclists. He was cited.

BURGLARY OF A GARAGE
Post & Pierce
04-27-2015 6:00 PM
The resident returned home to discover someone opening her garage door from inside of the garage. She saw the suspect standing there with her stolen snowshoes sticking out of his backpack. He then ran off. He had entered by breaking a window at the rear of the garage.
Suspect: Black male, 40-50 years old, 5’8” 160 lbs, wearing a black baseball cap, black over sized canvas jacket, and blue jeans. The suspect had a short gray beard, poor teeth and a bad odor.

MENTAL HEALTH CALL
Clement & 12th Ave
04-27-2015 8:39 PM
Parents called 911 because their adult son was not taking his psychiatric medication and was highly agitated. The son has a history of violent behavior. He advanced on one officer and repeatedly yelled, “Just shoot me! Kill me! I don’t want to live!” The officer was able to calm him down and he was transported to the hospital.

ARREST: WANTED PAROLEE
Geary & 33rd Ave
04-27-2015 11:14 PM
A MUNI bus driver recognized the suspect as a person who had previously caused problems on the bus so he refused to let the suspect aboard. The suspect then stood in front of the bus and blocked it from continuing until officers arrived. They determined that the suspect was wanted for violating his parole (he was previously in prison for robbery).
Captain’s Note: The only bus this suspect will be riding is the one back to San Quentin.

BURGLARY OF A GARAGE
Balboa & 48th Ave
04-27-2015 11:45 PM
A homeowner heard his automatic garage door open and ran downstairs to see the suspect standing in his garage. When the homeowner yelled at him, the suspect fled on foot. The resident then discovered that his SUV (parked in front of the house) had been ransacked and his garage remote control had been taken.
Suspect: White male, 5’10” 140 lbs, wearing a white baseball cap, a dark hooded sweatshirt, and dark pants.
Captain’s Note: This is another unfortunate example of why it’s bad practice to leave garage remote controllers in the car, especially when the car is parked in front of the house.

INJURY TRAFFIC COLLISION
Geary & 28th Ave
04-28-2015 8:39 AM
A Toyota was turning from northbound 28th Ave to eastbound Geary Blvd. when the driver failed to yield to a 14 year old boy who was in the crosswalk. He sustained moderate injuries. The driver was cited at the scene.
Captain’s Note: Officers have been conducting enforcement operations against drivers who do not yield to pedestrians in this area of Geary Blvd several times a week.

ARREST: FELONY WARRANT
La Playa & Fulton
04-28-20153:10 AM
Employees at Safeway recognized the suspect from previous theft incidents in the store. They called the SFPD and officers found that the suspect had a warrant for his arrest for burglary. He appeared to be homeless and had a large collection of property with him including a 40” flat screen TV.
Captain’s Note: Anyone out there missing a big TV?

THEFT OF AN ATM
Geary & 24th Ave
04-29-2015 4:09 AM
Unknown suspects backed a truck up to the stand-alone ATM, tethered the ATM to the truck with a chain, pulled the machine off its base, loaded it into the truck and drove off with an ATM full of cash.
Captain’s Note: Notorious bank robber Willie Sutton’s criminal career spanned the first half of the 20th century. A reporter once asked him why he robbed banks and he replied, “Because that’s where the money is.” These thieves are updating Sutton’s business model with a 21st century perspective.

TRUANCY
Fulton & 22nd Ave
04-29-2015 10:30 AM
A citizen saw two young people peering into cars on Fulton. Fearing that they might be about to break into a car, he called the SFPD. Officers responded and found two middle school students who were skipping school but had not actually broken into any cars. The boys were taken to the Truancy Assessment & Resource Center (TARC).
Captain’s Note: TARC is a collaborative project of the school district and several other city agencies (including the SFPD). If you want to know more about this program, their web site is http://portal.sfusd.edu/TARC/index.html

BURGLARY
Clement & 6th Ave
04-30-2015 10:30 AM
A suspect told the elderly resident that he was a worker sent by the landlord to do maintenance on a backyard fence. He distracted her out in the yard while his co-conspirator snuck into the house and stole valuables.
Suspect 1: Black male, 30-40 years old, 5’8” 160 lbs, black cap, black uniform shirt, dark pants, carrying a walkie talkie and wearing an ID card on a lanyard around his neck.
Suspect 2: unseen
Vehicle: White Toyota Yaris
Captain’s Note: This is part of an ongoing series of scams where suspects posing as utility workers or other maintenance personnel distract the homeowner while an accomplice steals property. The scam often targets elderly people who are home alone during the day. Unless you know for certain that a person is on legitimate business do not let them into your home. Call the SFPD right away if you ever have any suspicions.

ARREST: SHOPLIFTING / PROBATION VIOLATION
Geary & 17th Ave
04-30-2015 12:18 PM
An officer was on patrol when he saw the suspect run out of a store in a big hurry and cross the street against a red light. The officer detained the suspect who was on probation for burglary. As part of his probation the suspect may be searched by a police officer without a warrant. A search of the bag he was carrying revealed over $500 in stolen cosmetics as confirmed by the store employees.

ARREST: VANDALISM
California & Divisadero
04-30-2015 5:51 PM
The victim parked her car across a driveway briefly. She returned to find the suspect “keying” a deep scratch along the side of her car. When she asked him why he was doing it, he replied “Because you parked in my f***ing driveway!”
Captain’s Note: One lawful alternative is to call 311 and ask to have the car towed. The person who blocked the driveway then has to pay a fine and towing fees.

NEXT COMMUNITY MEETING:
Tuesday 05-19-2015 @ 7:00 PM
Richmond Station Community Room
461 6th Ave.

CONTACT US:
Call 911 for emergencies
Call 415-553-0123 for non-emergency police service
Richmond Station
461 6th Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-666-8000
E-mail: SFPDRichmondStation@sfgov.org
Follow us on Twitter: @SFPDRichmond