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REPORT FROM MISSION STATION

The Noe Valley Voice thanks 24th Street Beat Officer Lorraine Lombardo for providing this summary of incidents reported in the part of Noe Valley covered by Mission Police Station. The log includes some but not all incidents occurring Jan. 11 to Feb. 10, 2011, in the area bordered by Grand View, 20th, Guerrero, and Cesar Chavez streets. To contact Officer Lom­­­bardo, call Mission Station at 558-5400.

 

Jan. 12, 7:37 p.m., 24th and Chattanooga, Armed Robbery: Officers Bernal and Margreiter responded to a call of a robbery with a gun. The victim told police he was walking down 24th Street when he was approached by two men. The first suspect pulled out a pistol and pointed it at his face from about three feet away. The second suspect grabbed the victim’s bag, which contained a laptop computer and Apple ID badge. The suspects demanded the victim’s wallet, cell phone, and money. The victim, fearing for his life, began taking out his wallet, but the suspects grabbed the wallet, his Verizon 4G iPhone, and money from his pockets. The suspects fled on foot and were described as 18 to 25 years old, black or Hispanic, wearing dark-colored beanies, dark jackets, and jeans. During the police interview, the victim was able to locate the whereabouts of his mobile phone from his home computer. The computer pinpointed a location at Seventh and Market streets. Police broadcast the suspect information. Undercover officers responded, knowing that the area is a place where stolen properties are often sold to people loitering. They also knew a robbery in the Ingleside had just occurred involving a white vehicle. Officers located a white Buick whose occupants matched the description of the suspects. The suspects fumbled around in their seats as police approached. Police called the victim’s cell phone, and it rang inside the white Buick. The phone was located under the front passenger seat. After confirming the phone belonged to the victim, the police searched the rest of the vehicle, locating the victim’s laptop under the driver’s-side floor mat and his ID and bank cards in the driver’s-side door pocket. The vehicle was towed and the suspects were handcuffed and booked for robbery.

Jan. 14, 9:25 a.m., 700 block of Grand View, Robbery: Officer Joshua responded to a call about a purse snatch on the 48 Muni line. A suspect description was broad­cast. Multiple officers responded and detained a young man at 25th and Diamond. The female victim told police that she had been riding the bus and checking her email on her iPhone when a young man grabbed the phone from her hand. During a struggle with the suspect, her headphones were damaged and her finger cut. The suspect ran off the bus with the phone, and the victim chased after him until she lost him. Witnesses told police they saw a very shaken woman chasing a man and yelling for help. Multiple witnesses and the victim identified the man police detained as “the right one.” The suspect had dumped the phone in the bushes, lied to police about his identity, and run from police after being detained. Police found a spark plug tied to a shoestring on him, commonly used as a burglary tool to break open car windows. The suspect was placed under arrest and booked for robbery.

Jan. 14, 5:25 p.m., 300 block of Fair Oaks, Cultivation of Marijuana: Undercover officers were commanded by a San Francisco judge to search a man and his residence near St. James and ICA schools for drug sales. Officers arrived with a search warrant and removed a large amount of methamphetamine, a digital scale, packaging materials, and a beam scale from a closet. They removed 232 marijuana plants from a growing and flowering room. The man was arrested and charged with cultivation and maintaining a residence where narcotics are used and sold.

Jan. 18, 9:20 p.m., 300 block of Fair Oaks, Robbery: A man told Officers Asare and Pena that while walking on Fair Oaks near 25th Street and talking on his Apple iPhone he was robbed by two young African American males. One of the suspects distracted the victim by pointing to the sky, while the other man threw him to the ground, holding him down by his throat and choking him. They took his phone and wallet containing $150 and credit cards. The men fled in a rust-colored 1970s-style muscle car.

Jan. 19, 2:15 p.m., 4100 block of 25th, Domestic Violence: Officers Servat and Kujath met with a man who was bleeding from the forehead. The victim told police he was working on painting a house when his girlfriend approached him on the job and yelled in Spanish, “We need to talk!” Then she struck him twice on the left side of his head, injuring him. The suspect was no longer at the scene. An ambulance was called. Police issued an Emergency Protective Order to the victim.

Jan. 21, 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., 3900 block of 24th, Stolen Bicycle Parts: Officer Lombardo took a report from the manager of a grocery store on 24th Street concerning several early morning thefts of bicycle parts from the store’s parking lot. Employee bikes, secured to a rack in the lot, had had their seats and entire wheels stolen while the employees were at work, the manager said.

Jan. 26, 12:15 p.m., 1300 Noe at Elizabeth, Robbery at Knife Point: A man reported that he was walking his girlfriend’s infant in a stroller when he was robbed on Noe Street. The suspect approached him, spun him around by the shoulder, flashed a blade of a knife, and said, “Give me all your money and everything you have.” Fearing for his life, the victim gave the suspect $27 and his ATM card. The suspect then said, “Is this all the money you’ve got? Give me the PIN number.” The victim gave him the number and the suspect said, “That better be the right PIN number. Wait here on this corner. If you don’t, I’ll come and find you.” The victim waited 10 minutes, then left.

Feb. 5, 1:45 p.m., 4200 block of 26th, Theft by False Pretenses, Felony: An 81-year-old woman reported being the victim of a scam to Officer Morrow. She said that while sitting on her front porch she was approached by a man who offered to paint the exterior of her house for $400. She agreed to the offer and gave the suspect the money. The suspect told her that he needed “more money for the paint spray machine.” The elderly woman got into the suspect’s vehicle (described as a black station wagon) along with two other men, and they drove her to Chase Bank. The bank was closed. The victim said that the men were supposed to begin painting the house on Monday but never showed up. The suspect came back to the house, and the housecleaner spoke with him. He was very evasive and refused to identify himself. He told her that he came back to repair the plumbing on the house. The suspect was described as a Latin male, 35 to 40 years old, 185 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

Feb. 6, 6:45 p.m., 24th and Sanchez, Lost Wallet: A woman came to Mission Police Station to report losing her wallet on the 48-Quintara bus. She thought it might have fallen out of her bag when she was getting her keys out upon exiting the bus. Lost in the Hobo wallet were ID, credit cards, and a Mills College student ID card.

Feb. 6, 8 p.m., 23rd and Grand View, Found Wallet: A Noe Valley resident came to Mission Police Station and said she had found a wallet on the ground while walking down the street. She said there was a bus stop nearby and thought the wallet had slipped from someone’s purse. The Hobo wallet contained ID, credit cards, and a Mills College student ID card.

Postscript: After reading those last two police reports, Officer Lorraine Lombardo put two and two together and called the woman who reported the lost wallet. However, the phone number on the police report apparently was wrong. Officer Lombardo then went to the home of the Noe Valley resident and left her a note saying she could retrieve her wallet from the basement at the Hall of Justice, where found property is held until claimed.

REPORT FROM INGLESIDE STATION

This police blotter covers incidents reported Jan. 11 to Feb. 10, 2011, in Upper Noe Valley—the area roughly bounded by Cesar Chavez, Guerrero, 30th, and Diamond streets. The incidents were culled from newsletters produced by Capt. Louis Cassanego of Ingleside Police Station. The log may not include all crimes reported during the period.

 

Jan. 12, 12:18 p.m., 1300 block of Noe, Recovered Auto

Jan. 14, 1 p.m., Dolores at 27th, Burglary: Officer Gomez was sent to investigate a burglary from a safe. The victim told the officer that his wife called to tell him that she had discovered that property in the safe was missing. The point of entry to the home was the backyard door. The victim told the officer that the suspects went upstairs and removed jewelry from the safe. Gold Mexican coins also were taken. The total loss was said to be in excess of $138,000. CSI was responding to process the scene.

Jan. 15, 9 a.m., 1700 block of Diamond, Theft: Officer Gutierrez from Bayview Station prepared a report regarding a theft that occurred in the Ingleside. The victim told the officer that he rented equipment to a man, who asked to have it delivered to an address on Diamond Street. The victim met the suspect at the scene and dropped off the equipment. The next day, when the equipment was to be picked up, the victim learned that there had been no work done in that area and his equipment was gone. The suspect was described as an African American male between 40 and 50 years old, 5*10(, 180 pounds. The loss was $10,000 in construction equipment.

Jan. 25, 9:30 p.m., 1800 block of Castro, Burglary: SFPD Reserve Officer Martinez was sent to investigate a burglary case. The victim told the officer that she had left her apartment for six months and had left some boxed clothing in the home to be donated upon her return. The victim told the officer that when she came back she noticed that someone had removed some clothing and changed her mattress. The officer could not locate any forced entry.

Jan. 25, 11 p.m., 300 block of 30th, Attempted Burglary: Officers Kabanuck and Castillo were sent to investigate a burglary case. The victim told the officers that he left his home and locked it. Upon his return he discovered damage to the front door. The victim told the officers that entry had not been gained.

Jan. 27, 9 a.m., 1500 block of Church, Graffiti: Sergeant Miller responded to a business, where an employee reported that the street front windows had been scratched by an unknown suspect while the business was closed.

Jan. 27, 10 p.m., 900 block of Duncan, False Personation: A woman entered Ingleside Station and told Police Services Aide Flynn that she had received a phone call from PayPal regarding someone opening an account in her name. She discovered that someone was attempting to use her social security number to open a fraudulent account. She reported the incident to the company fraud unit as well.

Jan. 29, 7:30 a.m., 300 block of Valley, Stolen License Plate

Feb. 3, 300 block of 29th, Street Assault: Officers Vizcay and Ferronato were sent to investigate an assault case. The victim was waiting outside with a fat lip. The victim told the officers that a known suspect had punched them on the lip and that the suspect was still inside the house. The officers called an ambulance and went inside with a witness who came and met the officers. The suspect was on a bed and appeared to be sleeping. The suspect denied doing anything. Because of the statements and the physical evidence on the suspect’s body, he was placed under arrest and booked at Ingleside Station.

Feb. 4, 5:33 p.m., 1800 block of Castro, Battery/Suspicious: Officer Conceicao responded to a possible battery call. The officer met with the caller, who stated that she had located a man groaning and calling for help next to her home. Medics were tending to a man who they had assisted out of the bushes and who was covered in dirt, but had no visible injuries. The victim gave the officers several different stories of what had happened to him. He was taken to the hospital.

Feb. 5, 5:15 p.m., 500 block of 29th, Burglary, Apartment, Force: Officer Baldovino responded to a burglary call. The officer met with the victim, who showed him pry marks on the side entrance door to the garage for the building. The victim told the officer that his bicycle had been stolen from the garage.

Feb. 8, 10:30 a.m., 500 block of 28th, Stolen Truck

 

Police Beat was compiled and edited by Jan Goben and Sally Smith.

 

Police Borders

Noe Valley is split between two San Francisco police jurisdictions—Mission Police District and Ingleside Police District—with Cesar Chavez Street as the dividing line. Mission Station covers the northern half of the neighborhood, while Ingleside patrols the southern half. Both districts invite citizens to attend police community meetings, held monthly. Mission Police District holds meetings on the last Tuesday of the month, 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 Station, 1 Sgt. John V. Young Lane.

Police Contacts

Mission Station: 558-5400
Anonymous Tip Line: 392-2623
Newsletter: sfpd.mission.station@sfgov.org
Capt. Greg Corrales: 558-5455
Gregory.Corrales@sfgov.org

Ingleside Station: 404-4000
Anonymous Tip Line: 575-4444
Newsletter: sfpd.ingleside.station@sfgov.org
Capt. Louis Cassanego: 404-4030
Louis.Cassanego@sfgov.org

To file a police report, go to any local station or file online at www.sfgov.org.

To report a crime in progress, call 911. Cell phone users can dial Police Dispatch directly: 415-553-8090.