September 2003 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK

Police Beat is a roundup of crimes and other reported incidents in Noe Valley, which in this survey is defined as the area bounded by Grand View, 21st, Fair Oaks, and 30th streets. The following crime summaries were culled from incident reports filed at Mission and Ingleside police stations during the months of June and July, 2003.

Aggravated Assault with Weapon: 11:07 a.m. on June 22 in the 300 block of Vicksburg Street

Police responded to a report of two men fighting in the 300 block of Vicksburg Street. The incident occurred after one of the men, a resident, who had been cleaning up in front of his home, came across a man sleeping in his driveway next to a shopping cart full of bottles. When the resident asked the man to leave, the man became angry and began yelling at him in Spanish and swinging a stick at him. The resident did not understand what he was saying.

The suspect had begun pushing his cart toward 24th Street when the resident's wife returned home in her vehicle. According to the report, the man with the cart continued to yell at the resident and then at his wife and lobbed a bottle at the couple. It landed at their feet and shattered, but no one was injured.

As the suspect appeared to reach for another bottle, the resident ran up and grabbed him to prevent him from throwing it. A brief struggle ensued, toppling the shopping cart and broken bottles into the street, a mess that was later cleaned up by the Department of Public Works.

Police arrested a 38-year-old man, a transient, in the incident.

Burglary by Forceable Entry: Between 11 p.m. May 31 and 7 a.m. June 2 in the 700 block of Diamond Street

Someone kicked in a piece of plywood that was being used as a door at a construction job in the basement of a church at Diamond and Elizabeth streets. The intruder or intruders removed a Sawzall, chopsaw, laser, grinder, chainsaw, concrete saw, skill saw, and drill from inside a toolbox. The contractor was not sure whether the toolbox had been locked. The items were valued at $3,550. Police have no suspects.

Burglary of Apartment House: Between 8:30 p.m. on June 20 and
2 a.m. on June 21 in the 300 block of 27th Street

Police believe that someone crawled through a front window of an apartment in the 300 block of 27th Street and stole two laptop computers, a pager, a Tag Heuer watch, a Swiss Army watch, a cell phone, about 50 DVDs, a stereo receiver, three pearl necklaces, a ring, a silver bracelet, a silver and turquoise bracelet, two gold wedding bands, and a black and purple backpack. The value of the jewelry is still being determined, but the loss of the other items was estimated at more than $7,000.

The couple who live in the apartment told police they left their home with a guest around 8:30 p.m. on June 20 and returned hours later to find the window next to the front door slightly open, the front door shut but unlocked, and the back door fully open. The couple owned all of the stolen items except the backpack, which belonged to their guest.

The residents told police that two weeks earlier they had been instructed by their landlord to secure their valuables while a painting crew worked in their apartment.

No forced entry was observed, and police believe the thief or thieves exited through the front door.

Theft in Shoe Store: Noon on June 28 in the 3900 block of 24th Street

A young woman was trying on shoes in a store in the 3900 block of 24th Street and left her purse unattended while she walked to the back of the shop for a few moments. Before she turned her back to look at a few items, she noticed a couple enter the store. When she turned around again, she saw the pair leaving. Suspicious, she looked for her purse and found it still on the floor.

However, when she went to the register to pay for her shoes, she discovered that her wallet--which she had just used next door and remembered replacing in her purse--was missing.

The black leather Anne Klein wallet, itself valued at $30, contained three credit cards, a debit card, and a San Francisco State University I.D.

The case has been referred to the fraud unit.

Burglary of Building Under Construction: Between 6 p.m. July 18 and 7:30 a.m. July 20 in the 3900 block of 23rd Street

Construction tools valued at $10,000 were reported stolen from a home under construction on 23rd Street during the weekend of July 18 to 20. The owner of the home told police that someone had removed the wooden boards he had been using to cover the garage area, entered the building, and made off with several expensive tools.

Burglary of Residence Under Construction: Between 6 p.m. May 21 and 1 p.m. June 13 in the 300 block of Day Street

A man who lives in the 300 block of Day Street reported that while he was on vacation from May 21 to June 13 a laptop computer was stolen from his office. He also told police that renovations were being done during his absence and that the contractor's workers had access to his residence. The contractor could shed no light on the incident. The man's G4 Macintosh was valued at $3,500. Nothing else was taken from the home, and the residence was otherwise undisturbed.

Malicious Mischief, Vandalism to Vehicle: 2:38 p.m. July 21 at Day and Sanchez streets

A local woman was sitting in a park at 30th and Sanchez streets when she spotted two youths squatting by the right rear tire of her YMCA van. The suspects fled as she approached, and she found that the tire had been slashed and was deflating. The suspects were described as juveniles.

Vehicle Tampering: 11:46 p.m. June 12 at Valley and Noe streets

A couple reported a man attempting to gain entry to a U.S. mail truck shortly before noon on June 12.

The woman told police that she had noticed a man holding a large black duffle bag on his right shoulder and attempting to open the passenger door of the truck. He then walked around to the back of the truck and tried a handle there. Apparently unsuccessful in both attempts, he proceeded to the driver side.

The woman, who was watching from inside her home, yelled for her husband as she watched the suspect return to the passenger side. He must have gained entry there, she told police, for she could see his feet dangling out the door. The woman's husband, at her urging, walked outside and asked the suspect what he was doing.

At that, the suspect ran toward a gray, four-door Honda that was double-parked nearby with the driver-side door open. He drove off westbound on Valley Street.

There was no damage to the truck, and when the mail carrier returned, he said it did not appear that anything was missing.

Stolen Vehicles

* Between 2 p.m. June 19 and 10 a.m. June 20, a blue 1985 Dodge Ram pickup disappeared from where it was parked in the 3900 block of 23rd Street.

* Sometime between 6 p.m. July 20 and 8 a.m. July 21, someone stole a maroon 2002 Honda Civic four-door from where it was parked at Church and 27th streets.

The Voice thanks Mission Station Police Officer Lorraine Lombardo and Ingleside Police Officer Mike Smith for providing the incident reports for this month's Police Beat. The reports were summarized by Suzanne Herel.

Your Links to the SFPD

Noe Valley residents and merchants are invited to attend police-community meetings held monthly in the Mission and Ingleside police districts. The next meeting at Mission Station will be Tuesday, Sept. 30, 6 p.m., at 630 Valencia Street near 17th Street. The next Ingleside meeting will be Tuesday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m., at Ingleside Station, 1 Sgt. John Young Lane, off the 2000 block of San Jose Avenue.

Meanwhile, those who live or work north of Cesar Chavez Street can report recurring problems by phoning Mission Station at 558-5400 or e-mailing Captain Greg Corrales at gregory_corrales@ ci.sf.ca.us. (To report anonymously on drugs, gangs, or other crimes, call the non-traceable hotline at 558-5452.)

Residents and merchants in "outer" Noe Valley--south of Cesar Chavez--can contact Ingleside Station by calling 404-4000 or e-mailing Captain Kevin Dillon at kevin_dillon@ci.sf.ca.us.

To report a crime in progress, call 911. (Cell phone users, dial 553-8090.) To talk to San Francisco police about a non-emergency situation, call 553-0123.