Noe Valley Voice June 2008
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Crime Beat

By Officer Jane Warner
San Francisco Patrol Special Police

The following crime summaries were culled from reports filed at Mission Police Station. They cover some but not all incidents occurring in Noe Valley from April 16 to May 15, 2008. "Noe Valley," in this instance, is the area bounded by Grand View, 20th, Guerrero, and Cesar Chavez streets--which falls within the Mission Police District.

Drunk in Public, 4200 block of 26th, 4-17-08, 10:32 p.m.: Police responded to a call from a couple who had discovered a man in their back yard. When officers arrived, they found the man curled up sound asleep in some bushes in the rear of the yard. Officers woke the man and noticed a heavy odor of alcohol. The man's speech was slurred, and he was unable to walk without staggering. "I'm not drunk!" the man yelled at the officers. "Prove it!" The 40-year-old man was taken to Mission Station and booked for public intoxication.

Attempted Robbery: 1200 block of Church, 4-20-08, 12:30 a.m.: A woman was walking south on Church Street near 24th when she heard footsteps behind her. Suddenly a man grabbed the strap of her shoulder bag and tried to run off with it. The woman screamed, and a tug of war over the bag ensued. "Let go of the purse," the suspect demanded as he continued to pull on the strap. The woman refused and continued to scream. The suspect gave up and ran toward Jersey Street, where he was met by two other men. The trio ran east on Jersey, where the victim lost sight of them. The suspects are described as males of unknown race, in their late teens or early 20s. All three were wearing baggy dark clothing. About a half-hour later, officers in the area were involved in a foot chase with two men who fit the description of the suspects in the attempted robbery. The men were detained, and the officers called the woman at home and asked if she would come to their location and identify the men they had detained. The woman declined, stating that she didn't think she could recognize them. The suspects were released from police custody.

Malicious Mischief, Graffiti: 600 block of Douglass, 4-20-08, 12:07 p.m.: The principal of a local elementary school looked out his window and saw two older teenage boys near an outside lunch table, one of whom was writing on the table with a felt pen. The principal went outside and confronted the teens. "What are you doing?" the principal asked. The one teen admitted to writing on the table and handed over a black king-size Sharpie. The principal called the police, who responded and notified the teens' parents, who arrived at the school. The principal declined to press charges, but asked that the damage be repaired. The parents of the teens agreed, and the boys were released to their custody.

Aggravated Assault with Knife: Dolores Park, 5-01-08, 2:14 p.m.: While patrolling the park during the International Workers Day "Stop the War" protest, two officers were flagged down by someone frantically pointing to the park's bathrooms. Officers could hear screaming coming from inside one of the bathrooms. As they ran toward the bathroom and looked in, they saw two men wrestling with each other. One held a knife over his head and was threatening to stab the other. Officers quickly drew their firearms and ordered the man to drop the knife. The man complied and was taken into custody without further incident. The victim, who wasn't injured, told officers the suspect had entered the bathroom, cutting in line. When other bathroom patrons complained, the suspect pulled out the knife and started swinging it at people waiting in line. The 62-year-old suspect was transported to Mission Station and booked for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and an outstanding warrant for $290.93.

Armed Robbery: 3800 block of 24th, 5-10-08, 4:20 a.m.: A man wearing a mask entered a donut shop on 24th Street before dawn on Saturday morning, and pointed a gun at the store's employees and customers. "Open the register," he told one of the employees. Fearing for her life, the employee complied. The gunman went around the counter and removed an undisclosed amount of cash from the register. The robber ordered the employees to lie down on the floor and then turned his attention to one of the customers. "Empty your pockets," he demanded. The patron emptied his pockets, dropping about two dollars in loose change on the floor. The robber did not pick up the money, but instead ran out the door heading south on Church Street toward Jersey. One of the employees got up off the floor and called 911. Officers quickly responded and searched the area for the suspect, described as a black male, 30 years old, 5'10", 160 pounds, and wearing a scull cap, a black hooded sweatshirt, and black jeans. Police failed to locate the gunman.

Officer Jane Warner is a member of the San Francisco Patrol Special Police. You can reach her by e-mailing sfpatrol@earthlink.net or calling 559-9955.

Report from Ingleside Station

The Voice thanks Ingleside Police Captain Denis O'Leary for providing the following crime log for Upper Noe Valley, an area roughly bordered by Cesar Chavez Street, Guerrero/San Jose Avenue, 30th Street, and Diamond Heights Boulevard. The log covers incidents reported from April 16 to May 15, 2008. If you would like to receive Capt. O'Leary's weekly e-mail newsletter, send an e-mail to InglesideStationNewsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. You may also view updates online at www.sfgov.org.

UPPER NOE VALLEY CRIME LOG
Capt. Denis O'Leary's Incident Report for April 16 to May 15, 2008

April 18, 4:45 p.m., Church and 30th: A 16-year-old student told some other students to wait for another bus because the Muni coach she was on was crowded. The other students got on the bus in spite of the teenager's entreaties. The teenager smelled smoke and realized that one of the other students had tried to burn her hair. The other students left the bus at Dolores and 30th streets.

April 18, 12:15 p.m., 29th and Dolores: Officer Najarro investigated a loud argument and stopped a vehicle involved on San Jose Avenue. He determined that no felony had occurred and released the two people he had stopped.

April 19, 9:30 p.m., 1700 block of Sanchez: A residential burglary occurred between 7 and 9 p.m. Entry was via an unlocked front door. A computer, camera, calculator, and cash were taken.

April 20, 7 p.m., 1600 block of Church: A commercial burglary occurred on April 19 or 20. There was no forced entry. A plasma television was taken.

April 23, 8:30 p.m., 1500 block of Guerrero: A residential burglary occurred between 9:45 a.m. and 8 p.m. Entry was via a bathroom window. Two computers and house keys were taken.

April 28, 5:20 a.m., 400 block of Valley: A 40-year-old man was delivering newspapers when two men approached him from a blue Nissan SUV. One of the men pointed a silver handgun at the newspaperman and demanded money. The victim complied with the robbers' demand, and the two men fled in the SUV.

April 28, 10:40 a.m., 2900 block of Diamond: A 41-year-old woman was waiting for a bus when a man pulled on her purse. The woman struggled with the man grabbing her purse, but he pushed her to the ground and ran away with her belongings. Several people saw this and gave chase to the man. A 42-year-old woman caught up with the robber at Diamond and Bosworth streets. She took the purse from the robber and returned it to its owner.

April 30, 9:30 a.m., 200 block of 29th: A resident locked her home and secured it. She returned that day at 11 p.m. The next day she realized that her laptop computer and jewelry were missing. Her roommate reported that his laptop computer and camera had been taken, too. No forced entry was found by investigating officers. The case was reported to police on May 4.

April 30, 8 p.m., Sanchez and 29th: A 16-year-old girl was walking on Sanchez Street when a man approached from a black SUV. The man asked the teenager for directions and then grabbed her purse. They struggled over the purse until the robber produced a knife with a short blade. The girl let go of her purse, and the man fled in the SUV. Ingleside Station officers searched the neighborhood for the suspect, to no avail. A citizen called Ingleside Station to report a purse abandoned on his doorstep in the first block of Prospect Avenue in Bernal Heights. It was the victim's purse. A gift card and money had been taken.

May 3, 10:45 a.m., first block of 28th: A 2001 Chevrolet Malibu was reported stolen.

May 3, 2:28 p.m., 1700 block of Noe: Officer Coles investigated a vandalism call at a Muni bus shelter. Two suspects had written initials on the shelter's glass walls.

May 5, 12:15 a.m., Noe and Cesar Chavez: A robbery occurred in the neighborhood of 17th and Rhode Island streets. Plainclothes officers in the neighborhood had been following the vehicle involved in the crime without knowledge of the robbery, as it had not been reported to police. They followed the car through the Bernal Heights and Glen Park neighborhoods before learning of the robbery. The car was stopped at Noe and Cesar Chavez streets by officers from Ingleside Station. Three men, a 20-year-old Bayview resident, a 23-year-old Oakland resident, and an 18-year-old Portola District resident, were arrested and charged with the robbery. Case #080469078.

May 8, 7:35 a.m., 1500 block of Dolores: A parent contacted the police because a local resident had verbally harassed children on their way to school. Officer Jones and Officer Lee found the woman in question at home on the first block of Valley Street. They took the 39-year-old to San Francisco General Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

May 10, 2 p.m., 28th and Church: A 1993 Saturn SL was reported stolen.

May 14, noon, 1600 block of Diamond: Officers Rallis and Valiquette took a 39-year-old South San Francisco man into custody after learning that the man had verbally harassed school children. The case was taken over by Inspector Clemmons of the Juvenile Bureau.

May 15, 3:45 p.m., 1700 block of Church: A woman set her purse beneath her chair as she dined on the sidewalk outside a restaurant. A thief took her handbag and ran away. A witness later returned the woman's wallet. He had found it at 24th and Vicksburg streets.

Noe's Police Districts

Noe Valley falls under the jurisdiction of two San Francisco police districts: Mission and Ingleside. Mission Police Station covers the northern half of the neighborhood, including 24th Street, and Ingleside the southern half, starting at Cesar Chavez Street.

Both districts hold monthly meetings that are open to the public. Mission Police District's community meetings are held on the last Tuesday of the month, at 6 p.m., at Mission Station, 630 Valencia Street near 17th Street. Ingleside's community meetings take place on the third Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., at Ingleside Police Station off Balboa Park at San Jose Avenue. To contact Mission Police, call 558-5400 or e-mail SFPDMissionStation@ci.sf.ca.us. To contact Ingleside, call 404-4000 or e-mail SFPDInglesideStation@ci.sf.ca.us. To report a crime in progress, call 911. For non-emergencies, call 553-0123.