SFPD Richmond District Police Station
Weekly Update 01-19-2017
NEXT COMMUNITY MEETING:
Tuesday, February 21st, 2017 at 6:00 PM
Richmond Police Station Community Room
461 6th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118
RICHMOND STATION HONORS OFFICER JOHN “THE DUKE” RUGGIERO
Officer John “the Duke” Ruggiero retired last week after 30 years of service with the San Francisco Police Department. Officer Ruggiero worked several different assignments in the City, including the Central and Potrero Districts. At Richmond Station he was well-respected by his peers and the community.
The San Francisco Police Department and Richmond Station are going to miss Officer Ruggiero. We hope that he has a long, happy, and healthy retirement!
HERE ARE SOME OF THE INCIDENTS THAT OCCURRED IN THE RICHMOND DISTRICT THIS WEEK:
ARREST: WARRANT ARREST; METHAMPHETAMINE OFFENSE; PROBATION VIOLATION; TRAFFIC VIOLATION
POST STREET & DIVISADERO STREET
01/11/2017 2:15 PM
A vehicle with no license plates caught the attention of Richmond District Officers on the lookout for criminal activity. As the diligent Officers stopped the car to conduct an investigation, they realized this would be more than just a fix-it ticket.
The driver was unable to provide any registration or insurance information for the vehicle he was driving. He also said that he did not have a valid driver’s license. Furthermore, the driver said he was on probation and was subject to being searched. The Officers found a bag containing Methamphetamine as a result of the suspect’s probationary search condition.
The Officers also contacted the suspect’s Probation Officer to inform them of the incident. The Probation Officer told the Officers that a warrant had just been issued for that suspect. The Probation Officer also authorized an additional charge for the suspect, preventing him from making bail and leaving jail.
The suspect was booked at County Jail on a multitude of different offenses, all stemming from a would-be fix-it ticket.
FRAUDULENT GAME OR TRICK, OBTAINING MONEY OR PROPERTY
REPORTED AT RICHMOND STATION
01/11/2017 & 01/14/2017
Two separate incidents of this nature were reported at Richmond Station this week. In both incidents the victims are elderly people whose generous and caring nature was taken advantage of.
In the first incident, the victim received a phone call from a suspect claiming to be his grandson. The suspect said that he’d been arrested after being in a vehicle collision, and that the “public defender” would contact him soon with more information.
The victim then received a call from a suspect claiming to be the public defender, who said the victim could bail their grandson out of jail for $2,000. The victim was instructed to purchase gift cards from Target, which the victim did. The victim later received another phone call from the suspect. During this phone call, the victim provided the suspect with the card number and access codes for the gift cards.
Unfortunately the scam continued the next day. The victim received another phone call from suspect, who demanded another $2,000 to pay for vehicle repairs from the collision. The victim again bought the gift cards and provided the numbers to the suspect.
The victim later contacted his grandson and realized they had been the victim of a scam.
The second incident is strikingly similar to the first. The victim received a phone call from a suspect claiming to be their grandson. The suspect said they’d been in a vehicle collision, and were arrested for DUI. The suspect then put their ‘lawyer’ on the phone, who said that they needed $4,000 to pay for the vehicle repairs. The suspect told the victim to go to Target and purchase gift cards. The victim did as they were instructed, and later called to provide the card numbers and access codes.
This victim was alerted to the fraud by their bank, but unfortunately it was too late. The gift cards had already been redeemed and the money was gone.
It is important that this information be disseminated throughout the community to prevent these scams from occurring. Please share the information with anyone who may be vulnerable to this kind of fraud to prevent them being victimized.
ARREST: TRAFFIC COLLISION, HIT & RUN; DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL; WARRANT ARREST
9TH AVENUE & GEARY BOULEVARD
01/13/2017 2:18 AM
Richmond District Officers were dispatched to a hit and run collision at this location. Dispatch provided the Officers with the suspect’s license plate number and a vehicle description. Officers responding to the call located the suspect vehicle parked approximately 6 blocks from the scene of the collision. Officers also found a person sleeping in the driver’s seat.
The Officers were eventually able to wake the suspect, who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. A thorough DUI investigation was conducted, including Field Sobriety Tests which the suspect failed. The suspect submitted to a chemical test, which revealed that his blood-alcohol content was over three times the legal limit.
In addition to this, the investigation showed that the suspect’s driving privileges had been suspended by the DMV, and he had several outstanding warrants; all for DUI.
The suspect was booked at County Jail. Thankfully there were no reported injuries as a result of the collision.
ROBBERY WITH A GUN
24TH AVENUE & CLEMENT STREET
01/14/2017 6:45 AM
The victim in this incident came to Richmond District Station to report that he had been robbed by a “taxi driver.” The victim, a tourist in San Francisco, said through an Italian interpreter that he flagged down what appeared to be a taxi at this location.
When the victim got into the taxi, the suspect began to ask the victim how much money he had. The suspect then reportedly pulled a black semi-automatic pistol from his seat and pointed it at the victim. The suspect took the victim’s jewelry and money, and ordered the victim to get out of the car.
The victim could not identify the taxi company. The only detail he could recall was that the vehicle was yellow in color. The suspect is described as an approximately 25 year old black male, 6’2” and 250 pounds, wearing a black jacket and black pants.
The investigation into this incident is ongoing.
CONTACT US:
Richmond Police Station
461 6th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 666-8000
Anonymous Tip Line: (415) 668-7387