Greetings,

Here is the latest update that includes highlights of police work being done by department personnel.  Note how busy it was during just ONE Friday afternoon and evening.  The fact that our personnel can keep up with the calls from service as well as initiate proactive contacts is more than a little impressive.  Our ability to coordinate multiple calls for service and other officer-initiated activities at the same time is a credit to excellent work by our dispatchers.  Many folks don’t realize that a small group of personnel in RPD’s Communication Center not only field both emergency and non-emergency calls for service from the public; they also dispatch for multiple public safety agencies in West County.  It’s a lot of responsibility!  As always, if you have questions or would like more information, please let me know.

Chief Chris Magnus
Richmond Police Department

1. Friday, Jan. 10, 2010, 3:00 a.m., Harbour Way and Cutting Blvd.--Officers were canvassing the area for witnesses, suspects and evidence related to an earlier shooting incident.  Officer Virgil Thomas saw a white Buick occupied by three people driving in the area of Harbour Way South.  Officer Thomas developed probable cause to make a traffic enforcement stop.  The vehicle initially failed to yield.  After finally stopping at the above listed location, the rear passenger immediately ran from the vehicle, clutching at his waist. Officer Thomas detained the driver and remaining passenger while broadcasting the suspect description and direction of flight.
2.             Sergeant Tirona saw the suspect running west on Virginia Ave. and gave chase.  The suspect attempted to go over the fence at 825 Virginia, but was stopped and taken into custody.  A loaded Springfield XD 40 caliber pistol was recovered from the suspect.  The suspect was a 21 year-old male who gave a Pinole address as his residence.  The female driver of the Buick and the remaining male passenger were released at the scene when no contraband was found in the vehicle.  The vehicle was impounded, although it appears to be a different car than the one involved in the earlier shooting.

 

1. Wed., Jan. 27, 2010, 4:15 p.m., 400 block of 21st St.--Officers responded to the report of a robbery and found that the victim was walking on the street when he was approached by two Hispanic juveniles.  One of the juveniles told the victim to give him the cell phone he was carrying and then punched the victim in the head before forcefully taking his phone.  The second suspect was also complicit in the robbery and both suspects ran inside an unattached structure in the rear yard of s home in the 400 block of 21st St.
2.             A perimeter was established and the homeowner gave Officer Caine along with his colleagues permission to search the rear structure.  Both sixteen year old suspects were found inside, both were positively identified by the victim, and the second suspect told officers that he hid the phone in the wall behind an electrical socket cover.
3.             The suspects were arrested and both confessed post Miranda.  One of them was found to be on probation for robbery they were both accepted for incarceration in Juvenile Hall.
4.  Wed., Jan. 27, 2010, 12:05 a.m., 2000 Block of Coalinga--Officers responded to the area on a report of four suspicious subjects walking through the block, carrying tools and trying the doors on parked vehicles.  Officer Hembree and his recruit, Officer Brown, located a subject standing on the 2000 block of Coalinga, next to a parked car.  This car was later determined to have been burglarized.  As the officers made contact with this subject, they saw tools on the ground at his feet.  Additionally, they saw movement behind a vehicle parked in a nearby driveway.  The officers called out to the other subjects, who immediately began to walk in the opposite direction until Officer Hembree cautioned them he would release his canine.  Officer J. Hill arrived and further cut off their avenue of escape.  Officer Hill deployed his canine partner, Nero, who immediately found two plastic bags containing about 35 grams of marijuana underneath the car where the suspects had been hiding.  Additionally, a fully loaded Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver was recovered from the bushes near where the suspects were detained.  The subject standing next to the victim vehicle was arrested for burglary and subsequently released to his brother.  Two other subjects were arrested for burglary, possession of a loaded firearm, and possession of marijuana for sale.  One was booked at Juvenile Hall and the other was booked at the Richmond Jail.

• Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010, 7:45 p.m., 800 block of Pennsylvania Ave.--Officer Abetkov responded to the report of a domestic battery in which the victim was making a report from the Crescent Park Apartments, even though the incident occurred at a residence in the 800 block of Pennsylvania Ave.  At some point before or after the assault, the victim hid the suspect’s assault rifle from him inside an apartment in the 800 block of Pennsylvania Ave.  The suspect found the rifle and gave it to his neighbor to hide from the police.
•             Officers responded to the Pennsylvania Ave. apartment to find that the suspect would not come out of his apartment.  The suspect was believed to still be in possession of the assault rifle (as the fact he handed it off to a neighbor was not discovered until after he was later arrested).  A perimeter was established and Sergeant Dickerson coordinated negotiations with the suspect while Sergeant Harris coordinated a search and arrest team.
•             The suspect eventually submitted to arrest and the assault rifle was found in the neighboring apartment which was under the control of the neighbor.  The suspect was found to be a former felon and was arrested for the felony domestic assault, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of an assault rifle.  The neighbor was arrested for the possession of an assault rifle.
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• Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010, 9:10 p.m., 5th St. and Barrett Ave.--Officers Nelson and Anderson (working a two-person Iron Triangle crime suppression unit) conducted a traffic enforcement stop at the above location.  Upon illuminating the interior of the vehicle the officers observed marijuana in plain sight on the front seat console.  The driver and passenger were ordered to exit the vehicle.  A search of the vehicle uncovered a black Glock semi-automatic pistol, one clear zip lock baggie containing a green leafy substance, and one bud of green leafy substance.  The 18 year-old driver and passenger were taken into custody for Poss. of Loaded/Unregistered Firearm and Possession of Marijuana.
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• Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010, 11:30 p.m., 1500 block Macdonald Ave.--Richmond officers responded to the 1500 block of Macdonald Avenue on the report that an Armed Robbery had just occurred.  The female victim reported that a young Hispanic male suspect threatened her with a firearm and took her property.  The suspect reportedly fled east on Macdonald Avenue.  Officer Jensen responded and located an individual walking in the 300 block of 21st Street.  He was detained.  The victim was transported to the suspect’s location for a field show-up.  She identified the individual (21 years of age) as the perpetrator of the robbery.  A replica air pistol was located on the ground adjacent to 335 21st Street.  The victim identified this as the weapon that the suspect used during the commission of the offense.  The suspect was taken into custody and booked at RPD for the above offense.
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• Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010, 2:35 a.m., 251 So. 12th St.--Richmond officers responded to the Leadership School (251 So.12th Street) on the report of an alarm coming from the school.  The alarm company also reported that multiple trips were coming from the main office.  Officers Nelson and Anderson arrived and observed a black male running in a southwest direction from the school.  They lost sight as he fled.  Officer Cantrell arrived and observed a black male, wearing a black hoodie, running towards the baseball field just west of the Martin Luther King Center on Harbour Way.  The 18 year-old suspect was taken into custody while running toward Harbour Way.  Canine Arrow was not deployed.  A large amount of cash ($553.00), taken from the school, was recovered from the suspect.  The suspect also stacked several (9) laptop computers in the office, but was unable to remove them.  The suspect was booked at the Hall of Justice for Burglary.
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• Sat., Jan. 23, 2010, 9:15a.m., 1700 block of Garvin Ave.--Officers responded to the 1700 block of Garvin Ave. on a report of a stolen vehicle.  The officers were advised that victim and a witness were following the victim’s Toyota van.  The victim had left his Toyota running outside when the suspects apparently drove off with the vehicle. The victim followed the vehicle a short distance, but decided not follow.
•             Another family member then spotted then spotted the vehicle in San Pablo.  Sergeant Ney coordinated efforts with San Pablo P.D. and the van was stopped in the 3000 block of 11th Street.  At the time of the stop, a female juvenile, 17 years, was the driver. Another female (30 years of age), was the front seat passenger.  This subject was reportedly a parolee and in possession of shaved keys. Both were arrested and transported to RPD. 
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• Friday, Jan. 22, 2010, 7:00 p.m., 200 block of Barrett Ave.--Richmond officers responded to a residence across from 220 Barrett Avenue on a report that at least one individual was spray painting graffiti on the building there.  The suspect was described as a Hispanic male wearing a pea coat and dark pants.  Sergeant Mollenbernd arrived and broadcast that two suspects were running from the area.  He gave descriptions of the individuals.  A 17 year-old and 24 year-old suspect were chased down and taken into custody by Officers Macrenato and Lewis.  (Sergeant Mollenbernd observed the suspects remove spray cans from their jacket pockets before running.)  Officer Macrenato sustained a hand injury while making his arrest. 
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• Friday, Jan. 22, 2010, 9:00 p.m., 2300 block of Andrade Ave.--Officer W. Jensen conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 2300 block of Andrade Avenue.  The vehicle was occupied at the time by four individuals.  He approached the vehicle, illuminated the interior, and observed the barrel of a shotgun lying on the rear floorboard.  The officer requested cover.  All occupants were ordered to exit the vehicle.  A Mossberg, model 500 shotgun (containing five cartridges in the feeder tube) was removed from the vehicle.  A rear seat occupant was taken into custody.
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• Friday, Jan. 22, 2010, 10:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., Richmond Pkwy/Blume Dr.--Richmond officers responded to the Chevron Gas Station at the above location on the report that six males were physically assaulting another male.  A caller advised that the suspects were running to the bus turnaround across from the Chevron Station.  The victim reported that he and a female had been robbed with a firearm.  Officer Saephan arrived and quickly disseminated the suspect information.  Saephan described the suspect vehicle as a silver 2-door Honda that was last seen being driven toward McDonald’s Restaurant.  Officer Lance Bell almost immediately located a silver Honda, traveling on Hilltop Drive towards Garrity.
•             When the vehicle arrived in the area of Birmingham and Lancaster, and there were sufficient cover-units, Officer Bell conducted a felony stop of the vehicle.  Five male occupants were removed from the vehicle.  An air pistol (Replica semi-automatic firearm) was discovered on the left rear floor of the vehicle.  The victims along with several other witnesses were transported to the detention location for infield show-ups.  They identified five suspects as being involved in the physical assault and the robbery.  These suspects were
• taken into custody and booked for Robbery at RPD. 
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• Friday, Jan. 22, 2010, 10:35 p.m., 4900 block of Potrero Ave.--Officers Vallerga and Fonseca, working a two-person south side suppression unit, conducted an enforcement stop on a vehicle for a traffic violation.  A records check indicated that the driver had an outstanding Warrant for Possession of a Firearm.  During the subsequent vehicle search, a loaded and stolen Smith and Wesson Sigma semi-automatic pistol was located on the front passenger floorboard beneath the passenger.  He was arrested and taken into custody on multiple charges. 
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• Friday, Jan. 22, 2010, 2:45 p.m., 100 block of 1st St.--Officers responded to a residence in the 100 block of 1st Street on a report of a possible robbery.  Investigation revealed that the victim had given the 17 year old suspect a small amount of money to buy drugs.  The victim later confronted the suspect when the suspect failed to produce the drugs.  The suspect then pointed an “Uzi” (semi-automatic weapon) at the victim, who called RPD.
•             Sergeant Mollenbernd coordinated the scene and the suspect was eventually called out of the residence.  The mother of the suspect was also home and allowed the officers to search the residence.  The officers found a loaded semi-auto Uzi hidden in the laundry room.  The officers also recovered a loaded pistol grip shotgun.  The suspect was arrested and later booked at Juvenile Hall.  Officer Walle conducted the preliminary investigation.