Police Beat

By Erin O'Briant

Police arrested a man in connection with a mugging that took place on Fair Oaks Street Feb. 18.
At about 7:45 p.m. that Friday evening, a 38-year-old woman was walking on Fair Oaks Street near 23rd Street and talking on her mobile phone. Suddenly, a man struck her in the chest and she fell to the ground. The mugger grabbed the woman's purse and fled on foot toward nearby Quane Alley.
The woman's phone was broken in the attack, but a neighbor heard her scream and called police. The victim sustained a cut to her hand. She declined medical attention when police arrived.
Ten minutes after the incident, two plainclothes officers saw a man who matched the description given by the victim, nearby on Guerrero Street between 25th and 26th streets. The suspect attempted to flee on foot but was overtaken. The victim came to the scene accompanied by two other police officers and identified the suspect as the person who robbed her. The victim's property was seized from the suspect's person. The man confessed to the crime and was booked at Mission Station.
Inspector Ed Yu, one of the officers who found the suspect, acknowledged afterwards that the incident could be linked to a similar mugging that took place on Jan. 27. In that case (reported in last month's Police Beat), the woman victim was struck in the face and robbed while she was walking at 22nd and Fair Oaks streets at about 8 p.m. Her description of the suspect was similar to the one given in the Feb. 18 mugging. Also, in both cases, the suspect headed toward Quane Alley after committing the crime.
"We don't keep track of all robberies," said Yu, who works in the Gang Task Force, "though we do track all gang-related incidents."
Police do not believe the Feb. 18 mugging was gang-related. Yu happened to apprehend the suspect because he was in the area at the time, he said.
According to Yu, the Feb. 18 suspect was back out on the street in late February after making bail.
Police Beat is a roundup of crimes and other police incidents in Noe Valley. "Noe Valley" is defined as the area bordered by Grand View, 21st, Fair Oaks, and 30th streets. The following crime data were culled from February 2004 incident information and reports provided by officers at Mission Police Station.
Malicious Mischief and Vandalism: Reported 3:30 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 2; 3900 block of 24th Street
Theft from Auto: Reported 10:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 2; 400 block of Clipper Street
Malicious Mischief and Graffiti: Reported 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 2; 1300 block of Church Street
Malicious Mischief and Vandalism: Reported 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 2; 3800 block of 24th Street
Theft from Auto: Reported 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 3; Clipper and Noe streets
Burglary with Forcible Entry: Reported 5:07 a.m., Friday, Feb. 4; 3900 block of 24th Street
Theft from Coin-Operated Machine: Reported 12:20 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 5; 4000 block of 24th Street
Burglary of Residence with Forcible Entry and Grand Theft from Building: Reported 11 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8; 900 block of Dolores Street
Petty Theft of Property: Reported 1:15 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8; 400 block of Fair Oaks Street
Grand Theft from Building: Reported 3 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8; 3500 block of 22nd Street
Stolen Auto: Reported 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8; Cesar Chavez and Castro streets
Theft from Auto: Reported 10 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8; 24th and Fair Oaks streets
Theft from Auto: Reported 4:15 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 9; 300 block of Fair Oaks Street
Burglary of Residence with Forcible Entry: Reported 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 9; 1100 block of Church Street
Burglary of Residence with Forcible Entry: Reported 12 noon, Monday, Feb. 14; 4400 block of 24th Street
Lost or Stolen License Plate: Reported 8 p.m., Monday, Feb. 14; 3600 block of 25th Street
Theft from Auto: Reported 8 p.m., Monday, Feb. 14; 4300 block of Cesar Chavez Street
Lost or Stolen License Plate: Reported 12:01 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 15; 3700 block of 25th Street
Petty Theft: Reported 9:43 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 16; 100 block of Clipper Street
Robbery on the Street with Strongarm: Reported 7:46 p.m., Friday, Feb. 18; Fair Oaks and 23rd streets (see story above)
Grand Theft from Building: Reported 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 19; 1100 block of Church Street
Theft from Auto: Reported 9 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 20; 3800 block of 21st Street
Stolen Auto: Reported 12:01 a.m., Monday, Feb. 21; 25th and Homestead streets
Recovered Vehicle: Reported 1:57 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 23; 4500 block of 25th Street
The Voice thanks Mission Police Officer Andrew MacIlrath for providing incident information and reports for this month's Police Beat. The reports were collected by Voice reporter Erin O'Briant.
HOW TO CONTACT THE SFPD
Noe Valley residents and merchants are invited to attend police-community meetings held monthly in both the Mission and Ingleside police districts. The next Ingleside meeting will be Tuesday, April 19, 7 p.m., at Ingleside Station, 1 Sgt. John Young Lane, off the 2000 block of San Jose Avenue. The next Mission meeting will be Tuesday, April 26, 6 p.m., at Mission Station, 630 Valencia Street near 17th Street.
Noe Valleyans who live or work north of Cesar Chavez Street (within the Mission Police District) may report recurring problems by phoning Mission Station at 558-5400 or e-mailing SFPDMissionStation@ci.sf.ca.us. To report anonymously on drugs, gangs, or other crimes, call Mission Station's nontraceable hotline at 552-4558.
Residents and merchants in Upper Noe Valley--south of Cesar Chavez Street--may contact Ingleside Station by calling 404-4000 or e-mailing SFPDInglesideStation@ci.sf.ca.us.
The Ingleside anonymous tip line is 587-8984. To sign up for the station's daily crime e-newsletter, e-mail Captain Paul Chignell at Paul_Chignell@ ci.sf.ca.us.
To report a crime in progress, call 911. To report a non-emergency situation in San Francisco, call 553-0123.