Noe Valley Voice December-January 2006
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Police Beat

By Erin O'Briant

Neighborhood crime dropped to 76 reported incidents during the month of October, down from 96 in September. Some cases, including an armed car chase through the southern half of the neighborhood, resulted in arrests.

The 76 incidents included several cases of assault, three drug cases (one involving the sale of heroin), 15 burglaries, 19 incidents of theft, six robberies, nine acts of vandalism, and 17 auto thefts.

But there were just three reported street robberies in Noe Valley in October, and none involved the use of a weapon. That number was down from September, when armed robbers struck at least eight times.

Rude Welcome to San Francisco

Many of the thefts reported in October involved home break-ins.

A 66-year-old woman living in the 3500 block of 21st Street, who had recently moved to San Francisco, was in tears over the burglary of her home the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 15, says Officer Lorraine Lombardo, who responded to the case. The suspect took irreplaceable family jewelry, along with the victim's laptop computer, car keys, wallet, checkbook, and credit cards.

Lombardo speculates that the suspect may have scoped out the house from the J-Church shelter across the street, and she urges neighbors to keep an eye out for suspicious characters. The victim had been away from her house for less than an hour when the burglary took place.

Two Arrests in Police Car Chase

Police officers gave chase to a car in the Bayview District of San Francisco after its occupants allegedly opened fire on a crowd of people there during the late morning of Wednesday, Oct. 11. The driver of the car managed to escape from Bayview officers, but the car was spotted by officers on Valencia Street near St. Luke's Hospital, and the chase continued into Noe Valley.

The driver hit parked cars at 29th and Dolores streets, then continued on to the 300 block of Miguel Street. There, the occupants abandoned the car; witnesses saw them flee with guns in their possession. Officers found two of the suspects hiding behind a vehicle in the 100 block of Mateo Street; two semi-automatic handguns were found abandoned in the 300 block of Chenery Street.

Although officers suspected a third suspect was involved, that person has not been located, says Ingleside Police Station Captain Paul Chignell. The suspects were arrested on multiple felonies involving gun charges. One was a parolee at large with no bail.

The Voice thanks Noe Valley Police Officer Andrew MacIlrath for his help in providing data for this month's Police Beat.

Reporting an Incident

To report a crime in progress, call 911. To report a non-emergency problem, call 553-0123. For online reporting of crimes such as vandalism, car thefts, lost property, and harassing phone calls, go to www.sfgov.org/site/police.