Police Blotter – July 17, 2009

Some interesting arrests this week including one man who was hell bent on finding a mode of transportation be it golf cart, bike or moped, a road rage incident on Clement St. and a thief foiled by his stolen cellphone.

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[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of July 17, 2009. To be added to their mailing list, email the station at SFPD.RICHMOND.STATION@SFGOV.ORG or visit their website.]

CAPTAIN RICHARD CORREIA’S MESSAGE
Motor vehicle theft in the Richmond District decreased in June as compared to last year. In June of 2008 there were 36 vehicles stolen in the district. In June of this year there were 19 stolen. As more data comes in we will have a better gauge of the long-range trend and how it relates to our policing strategies.

Burglary is down as well. In June of 2008 there were 24 burglaries reported. This June 2009 we received just 14 burglary reports. The three month trend line for burglaries also supports the inference that burglaries are declining. In April 2009 we received 30 reports and May we received 32 reports.

If you see anyone suspicious in your neighborhood, please call the police immediately. Officers are well trained to discern those individuals with legitimate business from those possibly involved in criminal activity. Remember, most residential burglaries are committed in the daytime hours and no force is used to gain entry.

I encourage you to contact San Francisco Safety Awareness for Everyone (SAFE) to learn how you can prevent your home from being burglarized. Telephone SAFE at (415) 553-1984 or visit its Web site at http://sfsafe.org. If you are interested in seeing other crime stats please visit www.sfgov.org and navigate to the SF Police Department’s home page, where you will find a link to CrimeMaps.

During the past week, there were 20 traffic accidents, 4 involving injuries. There were also 4 arrests for driving under the influence.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On the morning of 07/10/09 a male entered a parking lot of the VA hospital and stole a golf cart belonging to the hospital. He was later located and cited by the VA Police for the theft and released. The officer watched as the suspect left the hospital grounds and noticed that the suspect was trying to open car doors as he walked down the street. The officer began to follow the suspect and saw him attempt unsuccessfully to try to start a scooter. Next, the police saw the suspect enter an open garage of an apartment building on Point Lobos. As the officer closed in he saw the suspect being pushed out of the garage by a woman. The suspect was holding a bicycle, which the woman told the officer did not belong to the suspect. The VA officer detained the suspect and contacted SFPD. The suspect, a 21-year-old male was charged with burglary.

On 07/10/09 at 1:20pm a victim was sitting in his parked vehicle on the 400 block of Clement Street. A driver of a large truck tried to park his vehicle in the space next to the victim, but the truck was too wide. The driver of the truck yelled at the victim and was motioning to him to move his car. The victim yelled back that he wasn’t ready to leave yet and began talking on his cell phone. The driver of the truck got out, went to the driver’s door of the victim’s vehicle and opened the door. He began to choke the victim while holding him back on the seat as the victim was trying to yell at him to stop. The truck driver ordered the victim to move his car. The victim was able to get the driver off of him and shut his door. He contacted 911 and officers located the driver and his truck. The driver was charged with aggravated assault.

On 07/12/09 at 9:37pm officers were flagged down at 6th Avenue and Geary regarding a fight that was taking place inside the fast food restaurant. As the officers responded they saw the victim running out the front door, being chased by a male with a chair in his hand. The officers saw the suspect throw the chair at the victim, who was able to block the chair with his hand. The officers detained the suspect who was extremely agitated and yelling racial slurs. The victim said he first saw the suspect in front of the restaurant swearing and yelling slurs. The suspect went into the restaurant and the victim followed. The suspect continued his tirade and when the victim questioned the suspect, he picked up the chair and chased the victim out of the restaurant. The victim was transported to a local hospital for a cut on his hand, and the suspect was charged with aggravated assault and threats.

On 07/16/09 at 4:20am, officers responded to 9th and Fulton on a report of an auto burglary. The victim told the officers she had parked her car at 12:30am and inadvertently left the keys in the car and the doors unlocked. When she returned hours later she realized what she had done and saw that her wallet, cell phone, charger, and keys were now missing. Toward the end of the officer’s interview, a male that happened to be passing by told the officers that he was concerned due to the fact that victim and her friend were staring at him suspiciously. At this time, the victim’s friend called the victims cell phone to see if anyone would answer. As she did this, a phone began to ring from the pocket of the male. The male took the phone from his pocket and as he went to answer it the victim saw that it was her phone. The officer took the phone and saw that the incoming call was from the victim’s friend. The male told the officers that he had just purchased the phone from someone down on Ocean Beach. The suspect, a 30 year old
male was charged with possession of stolen property.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 07/10/09 at 11:30pm the victim was walking home in the area of Sutter and Scott when four males approached him. One of the males punched the victim in the face causing him to fall to the ground. While on the ground the suspects continued to punch the victim while rifling through his pockets. The suspects discovered that the victim had no property and then fled east bound on Sutter. The suspects were as males between 15 and 25 years of age wearing all black clothing.

On 07/10/09 at 1:40pm on the 600 block of 12th Avenue two males forced their way into a residence by smashing the glass on the front door. The victim, who was inside the residence, heard the noise and went to investigate. As he opened his bedroom door he saw two males wearing ski masks standing in the hallway. The victim was pushed down and stabbed in the arm by one of the suspects. Another occupant in the home heard a commotion and went to see what was happening. The occupant saw the victim struggling with the suspect and tried to pull the suspect off of the victim. At that point a second suspect grabbed the occupant and stabbed the occupant in the arm. Both suspects fled the home. The occupant gave chase and was pepper sprayed in the face by one of the suspects. The suspects, ages unknown, fled south on 12th Avenue. One of the suspects was wearing a white t-shirt.

On 07/12/09 at 5:52pm a victim was walking in the area of Post and Divisadero. She was approached from behind by the two suspects who grabbed her by the back of the head and pushed her to the ground. One suspect grabbed the victim’s purse while the other took her cell phone and then they both fled south on Divisadero towards Geary. At 6:20pm dispatch received a call from a man who had located the victim’s purse at Geary and Scott. The officers took the victim to that location where they recovered all her property except her cell phone, wallet and sunglasses. The suspects were described as two 17-19 year old females.

On 07/13/09 at 10:20pm a victim was walking in the area of 4th Avenue and Balboa Street talking to on his cell phone. He heard footsteps from behind and, as he turned around, he saw a suspect standing behind him pointing a gun. The suspect pushed the victim against the wall and demanded his wallet. As the victim was handing over his belongings, a second suspect appeared and grabbed the victim’s backpack from his back, and the cell phone from his hand. The victim was pushed to the ground and when they could find no money in the victim’s pocket, they kicked the victim in the legs. The suspect then fled in an unknown direction. The suspects were described as two males in their 20’s, one wearing a light colored hooded sweatshirt.