Noe Valley Voice April 2010
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POLICE BEAT

REPORT FROM MISSION STATION

The Voice thanks Noe Valley Beat Officer Lorraine Lombardo for providing this tally of incidents occurring in the part of Noe Valley within the Mission Police District. The log includes some but not all incidents reported Feb. 11 to March 10, 2010, in the area bordered by Grand View, 21st, Guerrero, and Cesar Chavez streets. To contact Officer Lombardo, call Mission Station at 558-5400. Her beat is centered on the 24th Street commercial corridor.

Feb. 11, 11:05 p.m., Hill & Noe, Auto Burglary: The victim reported he parked his truck overnight on the street. When he returned the next day, he found the front doors ajar. When he opened them further, he saw that the truck's storage compartments had been rummaged through and their contents strewn across the front and back seats.

Feb. 13, 7 p.m., 23rd & Hoffman, Stolen Vehicle: A red four-door 1994 Acura Integra.

Feb. 15, 9:45 a.m., 22nd & Vicksburg, Stolen Vehicle: A blue two-door hatchback 1989 Honda Civic.

Feb. 17, 2:13 a.m., 300 block of Clipper, Theft from Vehicle: A woman told police that she parked her locked car in front of her driveway and left. When she returned, she found her car doors unlocked and her Lottery Scratchers missing from inside the vehicle. She also discovered a box containing an electric chain saw in the back seat area that did not belong to her.

Feb. 19, 10:40 a.m., 4000 block of 24th, Theft from a Merchant: A witness saw a man take flowers from a flower stand without making any attempt to pay for them. The witness notified the owner of the flower shop, who called police. Officer Chow responded to the scene and on his way saw a man who matched the witness's description walking down 24th Street carrying a bundle of flowers. Officer Chow stopped the suspect and asked where he'd gotten the flowers. The man said he'd bought them, but he was unable to produce a receipt. The shop owner recognized the flowers as belonging to the shop. Officer Chow ran a check, which revealed the suspect had an outstanding warrant from an arrest in a prior petty theft case. He was booked and charged at Mission Station for the theft and held for the warrant.

Feb. 21, 10:22 a.m., 700 block of Sanchez, Stolen Vehicle: A red, two-door 1993 Saturn SL.

Feb. 22, 9 a.m., 4000 block of 26th, Theft from Vehicle: A victim told police that he'd left his car unlocked in a driveway while loading it during a move. When he returned to the vehicle, he found the back open and two new Macintosh laptop computers, valued at more than $3,000, stolen.

Feb. 26, 7 p.m., Castro & Jersey, Stolen Vehicle: A black 1991 GMC pickup truck.

March 3, 12:10 p.m., 1300 block of Castro, Battery: A parking lot attendant told police he was beaten by a man who had parked his vehicle in a store loading zone after entering the lot via its one-way exit. The attendant told the man, "You can't park here." The man yelled profanities at the attendant and walked into the store after refusing to move his car. When the man came back, the attendant was taking a photo of his vehicle. The man allegedly became irate and attacked the attendant, then got in his car and fled. Later, he called the store and spoke to police, saying, "He hit me first." Police invited him to come down to the station to give his side of the story. At Mission Station he was booked and charged with felony assault.

March 5, 2 a.m., 1300 block of Castro, Vandalism: An unknown suspect broke out a large plate-glass window on a local merchant's storefront.

March 5, 1 p.m. (reported), 24th & Sanchez, Traffic Violations: A local merchant reported to police that at approximately 5 a.m. on March 5 she saw a male driver "blow through" a stop sign at 24th and Sanchez streets, almost hitting two pedestrians in the crosswalk. She said the man continued to speed on 24th toward Noe, where he stopped his car, got out, and delivered newspapers to the building at the corner. She also said the same car had nearly hit her two weeks earlier while it sped through stop signs at 23rd and Sanchez streets. The vehicle was described as a dark green Toyota Tacoma with a camper shell (also dark green), a loud muffler, and a license plate beginning with "4IJ."

March 6, 3:45 p.m., 100 block of Nellie Alley, Shots Fired: Officer Friedman responded to a call of shots fired. A witness reported hearing three gunshots and seeing a red truck fleeing Nellie Alley immediately thereafter. The victim told police that earlier, while in his car, he had beeped his horn at another driver, who was double-parked at 29th and Sanchez streets causing a traffic hazard. Driving home, the victim noticed a red truck in his rear view mirror and determined he was being followed by the man he'd beeped at. The victim quickly pulled into his garage on Nellie and closed the garage door. The victim then heard someone pounding on the garage door. The victim opened the door and faced the man with the red truck, who yelled at the victim, threatening to kill him. The victim said the suspect flashed some kind of badge to make himself look like law enforcement. Fearing for his life, the victim shut the garage door and went into his house. Minutes later, he heard three shots. The victim's wife came home, opened the garage door and found her husband's vehicle shot up and glass all over the floor. Other officers went to the original location of the traffic dispute and located the red truck, with spent bullet shells still on the seat. After a nightlong investigation, search warrants were issued. Officers responded to the suspect's home, in the 1300 block of Sanchez, where he was placed under arrest. Forty-six guns, including handguns, shotguns, and assault rifles, were confiscated by police from the suspect's home.

March 7, 7:50 p.m., 25th & Castro, Robbery: A victim told police that she was robbed at gunpoint while delivering pizzas. The suspect, a clean-shaven Hispanic male, 23 yrs old, 5'7", 170 pounds, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, pushed a black semiautomatic handgun into the victim's side and demanded money. The victim, fearing for her life, gave him $160 cash, a combination of tips and money for the pizzas. The suspect fled on foot.

REPORT FROM INGLESIDE STATION

The crime log for Upper Noe Valley--an area roughly bounded by Cesar Chavez, Guerrero, 30th, and Diamond streets--has been culled from newsletters produced by Capt. David Lazar, commander of Ingleside Police Station. The incidents are those reported from Feb. 11 to March 10, 2010. Please note that the log may not include all incidents occurring or reported during that period.

Feb. 11, 7:30 a.m., 500 block of Duncan, Traffic Accident: Hit-and-run.

Feb. 11, 7 p.m., 1500 block of Dolores, Stay-Away Order: Police Services Aide Guituan prepared a report at Ingleside Station regarding a stay-away order violation. The victim said he was awakened late at night by a neighbor who was causing a disturbance. The victim watched from his house as the suspect threw a glass onto the victim's driveway, causing it to break. The victim has a prior stay-away order against the suspect.

Feb. 12, 7:16 p.m., Noe & Valley, Narcotics/Warrant Arrest: Officer Gardiner and Sergeant Miller were patrolling the area and met an individual who admitted he was on probation. They conducted a search of the man and found narcotics. A computer query revealed warrants for his arrest. The man was placed under arrest.

Feb. 12, 9:10 a.m., 300 block of Valley, Recovered Auto

Feb. 12, 11:55 a.m., 500 block of Valley, Recovered Auto

Feb. 17, 10:12 a.m., 500 block 27th, Recovered Auto

Feb. 17, 10:30 a.m., 500 block 27th, Recovered Auto

Feb. 19, 6:49 p.m., 1500 block Dolores Street, Burglary/Threats: Officer Leong and Officer Kabanuck were on patrol when they responded to the report of an assault. The victim said that he was walking out of the garage of his building when he was spit on by his neighbor. Not wanting a confrontation, the victim went back into the garage. The suspect allegedly entered the garage, threatened the victim, and challenged him to a fight. The victim retreated until he was backed against a wall, at which point he threw a brick at the suspect in self-defense. The suspect then fled back home. Other witnesses in the area supported the victim's story, and the suspect was arrested. He was charged with burglary, threats, and a probation violation.

Feb. 19, 8:46 p.m., 200 block of Laidley, Robbery: Officer Kabanuck and Officer Leong were dispatched to the report of a robbery. They met with the victim, who said that he was walking down the street when he heard someone come up behind him. The victim then felt a tug on the laptop bag he was carrying. He turned around and was punched by one suspect, who took the bag. The suspect and another man with him took off running with the bag and got into a white car. The suspects were described as African-American males (both 5'9", 160 pounds), aged 20 to 25. One was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, and the other a yellow hooded sweatshirt.

Feb. 21, 12:30 a.m., 100 block of 27th, Stolen Auto

Feb. 24, 8:30 a.m., 300 block of Valley, Residential Burglary: Officers Padilla and Lundy responded to a residence and met with a victim who stated that an unknown suspect broke the garage door handle, entered the garage, and stole two mountain bikes.

March 1, 9:15 a.m., 500 block of 30th, Graffiti Arrest/Alcohol Possession: Officers Morgante and Aslam responded to a call and found three young men, one adult and two juveniles, sitting on the public steps drinking. There was fresh graffiti on a home and the public stairwell. The suspects had markers in the same color with them. They were all arrested and later cited and released.

March 6, 9:06 a.m., 100 block of 27th, Theft from Vehicle/Burglary: Officer Morgante responded to the report of a burglary. The victim said that her car, which was inside a shared garage, had been entered and rummaged through. Missing from it was a computer printer and some athletic equipment.

March 8, 4:30 p.m., 29th & Castro: Recovered Vehicle

March 10, 8:51 a.m., 500 block of 27th: Stolen Auto

Tale of Two Districts

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 police monitor the northern half of the neighborhood, while Ingleside police patrol 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 different locations in the district. This month, the meeting will be held April 20 at Ingleside Station, 1 Sgt. John V. Young Lane off San Jose Avenue.

Police Contacts

Mission Station: 558-5400

Anonymous Tip Line: 552-4558

Capt. Greg Corrales: 558-5455

Gregory.Corrales@sfgov.org

Ingleside Station: 404-4000

Anonymous Tip Line: 587-8984

Capt. David Lazar: 404-4000

David.Lazar@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 S.F. Dispatch directly: 415-553-8090.