Police Blotter – October 1, 2015

SFPD Richmond District Police Station
Weekly Update 10-01-2015
From Captain Simon Silverman

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2015:
The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival takes place this Friday through Sunday in Golden Gate Park. For information (including road closures) check their website www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/2015. To contact the organizers with comments or complaints, you can call the HSB Festival’s Hotline number 415-702-6727.

Here are some of the incidents that occurred in the Richmond Police District this week:

ROBBERY
09/26/2015 7:26 AM
Post & Broderick
The suspect walked past the victim then turned around, ran up behind her, threw her to the ground, cut the strap of her purse with a large knife and ran off.
Suspect: Black male, 18-25 years old, 5’8” medium build, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

ARREST: STOLEN CAR / UNLICENSED DRIVER / WARRANTS
09/26/2015 6:03 PM
Geary & 26th Ave
Officers on patrol saw a car with covered license plates pull over and double park. The car had been stolen nearby the previous day and the driver of the stolen car had no license. He also had a warrant for stealing a car and driving without a license.

TRAFFIC COLLISION WITH INJURIES
09/27/2015 6:27 PM
California & 3rd Ave
A van was going west on California when the driver failed to stop for a pedestrian in the crosswalk at 3rd Ave. The pedestrian sustained moderate injuries and the driver was cited. He said that he did not see the pedestrian because the sun was in his eyes.
Captain’s Note: Drivers are required to drive at a speed that is safe for the current conditions. If the sun is so bad that you can’t see in front of you, the safe speed is 0 MPH regardless of the posted limit.

ARREST: TRESPASSING
09/28/2015 2:00 PM
Shoreview & 36th Ave
A resident walked into her detached garage to find the suspect sitting in a chair and smoking methamphetamine. She told him to leave but he replied, “I’m getting high. It’s just like you drinking your coffee.” After finishing his smoke, the suspect left and officers arrested him nearby.
Captain’s Note: I’ll have a tall, non-fat meth mocha (no whip).

SCAM
09/28/2015 2:30 PM
Webster & Geary
(Although this scam started in the Northern Police District I am including it here because similar scams have been perpetrated throughout the City.)
The victim (an 88 year old woman) was approached in the parking lot of a grocery store by a clean cut, polite suspect wearing a suit. He told the victim that he had just inherited millions of dollars and was looking for a responsible person to help him donate $100,000 to charity. He promised the victim that he would give her cash and she could keep $20,000 for her troubles. However, before the suspect would give the victim the money he wanted her to prove that she was financially stable and so he had her withdraw thousands of dollars of her own money as a show of good faith. The suspect then put his money and the victim’s money into a scarf and gave it to the victim to hold. At some point, the suspect switched out the money and departed with the victim’s cash leaving her with a scarf full of rolled up newspaper.
Captain’s Note: If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

ARREST: BATTERY / RESISTING ARREST / FALSE IDENTIFICATION TO A POLICE OFFICER
09/28/2015 5:25 PM
Cabrillo & 5th Ave
The victim was walking down the street, texting and holding her phone up in front of her. The suspect mistakenly thought that the victim was taking photos of her. She grabbed the victim and punched her. The victim then ran home with the suspect following. Officers arrived and the suspect resisted their efforts to arrest her. Once detained, the suspect gave her name as “Sandy Beaches.” A few hours later at the jail, the suspect admitted her true name. It’s “Sunshine.”

ARREST: SHOPLIFTING
09/29/2015 7:45 PM
Fulton & LaPlaya
A customer was shopping at Safeway when the suspect walked by and raised his finger to his lips, asking her to be quiet. He then took a leg of lamb from the shelf and stuffed it down his pants. The customer watched as the suspect continued through the store and put a bottle of whiskey in his pocket and another bottle down the front of his pants. The suspect asked the customer, “You’re not going to tell security are you?” The customer did in fact notify a store employee who called the SFPD. Officers found the suspect nearby finishing off one of the bottles.

ATM RELATED FRAUD
09/30/2015 8:40 pm
Clement & 6th Ave
While the victim was using an ATM, the suspect stood very close to him. As the victim left the ATM, the suspect immediately went up to the same machine. The victim soon discovered that the suspect had withdrawn $600 from his account.
Captain’s Note: This crime is commonly known as “shoulder surfing” because the criminal looks over your shoulder to see you enter your PIN. The suspect waits for you to leave and quickly enters another transaction while your session is still active at which point the machine will ask him to re-enter your PIN (but not to re-insert your card). Sometimes the suspect will hasten your departure from the ATM by standing too close to you and making you uncomfortable so that you leave before you are completely logged off.
You should not step away from the machine until you are certain that your session has closed completely and the starting screen is displayed on the ATM again. If someone makes you uncomfortable while you are using the ATM, quickly cancel your session, do not withdraw cash, and leave once you are certain that your session is closed. If you see anyone loitering near an ATM machine, do not use that machine.

Next Community Meeting:
Tuesday 10-20-2015 at 7:00 PM at the Richmond Branch of the San Francisco Public Library
351 9th Ave

Contact Us:
Richmond Station
461 6th Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-666-8000
E-mail: SFPDRichmondStation@sfgov.org