Police Blotter

Suspected Suicide or Homicide: July 16, 6:33 p.m., Lake Merced Drive and Brotherhood Way
Two men were fishing at Lake Merced when they saw a body floating in the reeds and called police.

Divers located the body and brought it to shore. A wallet with identification cards was found in the victim's pocket, but the coroner could not confirm that they belonged with the body.

The coroner's preliminary examination reported no trauma to the body, excusing any unusual circumstances for the time being. The body was transported to the coroner's office for further investigation and determination of the cause of death.

Inspectors arrived to investigate, but did not consider homicide initially due to the coroner's preliminary report.

Aggravated Assault with a Dangerous Substance: July 14, 6:30 p.m., 3200 Block of 20th Avenue
Displeased with the service and type of nails she received, a patron at a nail salon complained to the woman doing the work and engaged in a verbal dispute. The employee told the woman that she would not be charged for any services if she left and never returned to the salon. In response, the unhappy customer picked up a bottle of acetone and threw it in the woman's face.

Mall security and police were notified and detained the suspect while the victim received medical attention. When police arrived, the suspect admitted her knowledge that acetone is a dangerous substance but threw it in the victim's face.

"I just got pissed off, so sue me," she said.

A computer check on the suspect also revealed an outstanding warrant for her arrest and she was booked.

Burglary: July 29, 10 p.m., 2300 Block of Irving Street
A restaurant's silent alarm activated and both police and the owner responded to the scene. The front door appeared untouched, but a search by police determined the suspect's point of entry and exit to be a rear door leading to an alley. The door was open and a small square had been cut near the lock.

Police found an empty cash drawer sitting in the alley, with its contents of $366 missing.

Dog Bite: July 21, 4:30 p.m., La Playa and Judah Streets
A 64-year-old man was walking with a friend when a dog suddenly ran up to him and bit his left leg.

"Sorry the dog bit you," said the owner, who had been holding the other end of the dog's leash when the bite occurred. He then walked away.

Officers searched the area for the man and his dog but could not find them.

Vehicle Tampering and Stolen Property: July 13, 6 a.m., 2200 Block of 38th Avenue
A man looked out the front window of his residence and saw a man inside a vehicle parked down the block. The suspect was bent over looking around inside the car with the front passenger door open.

Leaving that vehicle, the suspect looked in the window of the vehicle parked behind it. He then crossed the street to the passenger side of another vehicle.

When the man watching from inside his house saw the passenger door open, he phoned police. Officers arrived on the scene and detained the suspect, who the witness positively identified. Police searched for weapons and found a flashlight and knife.

Officers notified the owner of the first vehicle, who examined his car and reported nothing missing or damaged. The owner of the third vehicle reported missing CD's, which were found in the suspect's backpack along with pliers.

The suspect was taken to the police station and booked.

Theft, Purse Snatch: July 22, 11:09 p.m., 1800 Block of 27th Avenue
As the driver of a vehicle parked his car, he noticed another car double-park down the block and turn off its lights.

Three people, including the 52-year-old victim, got out of the parked car and were walking towards the victim's house when a suspect suddenly came up behind them, grabbed the victim's purse, ran back to his car and fled the scene. The driver of the parked car then ran back to his car to try to follow the suspect, but he lost sight of their vehicle. Police officers who responded to the report also searched the area to no avail.

About $100, personal identification cards and other bank and medical cards were stolen.

Forgery and Counterfeiting: July 14, 9:30 p.m., 200 Block of Winston Drive
A loss prevention worker at a department store observed the suspect pick up a pajama set from a clothes rack, remove its tags and then return the item at the cashier to receive a $46.44 refund for the stolen item. The suspect was confronted by a witness and held at the loss prevention office for police.

A record check revealed the suspect had an active warrant out for her arrest. She was taken to the police station for booking.

A search of the suspect's purse also turned up a bag of three pills suspected to be amphetamines as well as several credit cards, social security cards, food-stamp cards, identification cards and birth certificates - all issued to names other than that of the suspect.

Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance: July 15, 9:20 p.m., 2200 Block of 33rd Avenue
Police were notified by the suspect's 69-year-old uncle that the suspect appeared to be out of control.

The suspect came home and proceeded to use a sledgehammer to break a home appliance and break glass bottles in the street. The suspect then got four chain saws from the garage and repeatedly revved them on the driveway. The suspect's uncle told him to stop, but he refused.

By the time officers arrived, the suspect was walking in and out of his garage throwing items and yelling expletives. He was handcuffed and put in the patrol vehicle for safety purposes as police interviewed his uncle, who said the suspect had a history of methamphetamine use.

The suspect was transported to the police station, where he admitted he had recently used marijuana and methamphetamines. The preliminary examiner said the suspect was probably under the influence of methamphetamines at the time of arrest.

Burglary, Forcible Entry: July 30, 7:40 p.m., 2300 Block of Irving Street
Police responded to the scene of a bank whose silent alarm/motion detector had gone off. One of the window's had been broken, and a cement meter cover lay on the floor inside the building surrounded by broken glass. Officers and dogs searched the interior, but found no suspects.

The bank manager was notified, and upon his arrival and inspection of the premises, he reported nothing missing or damaged other than the window.

Security cameras in the bank were inaccessible at the time, and inspectors were scheduled to investigate the scene the next day.

False Personation to Receive Money or Property: July 11, 4 p.m., Unit Block of Chumasero Drive
The victim reported that she received a bill totalling $5,000 on a credit card and a notice of a transfer from another bank for the same amount, but she had not applied for either account.

Although the transfer had her name, it was addressed to another apartment unit in her building. The victim does not know who lives in the other apartment.

Police advised the victim to file a police report. She also contacted the fraud department and signed an affidavit stating she did not apply for the bank accounts.

Firearm, Possession by a Prohibited Person: July 16, 8:38 p.m., 46 Avenue and Sloat Boulevard

Police officers spotted a man standing by a running vehicle drinking a beer. Police requested to see his identification, which he could not produce, and asked who was the owner of the vehicle.

Another man who had been standing on the sidewalk told police that the vehicle belonged to his wife, that he drove the vehicle to where it was and that lis driver's license was currently suspended. A routine warrant check revealed the man was currently on felony probation. A search of the vehicle also revealed a loaded revolver under the hood of the car. The suspect was arrested and four other men with him were detained for further investigation.

While being taken to the police station, the suspect spontaneously said his friend had given him the gun to shoot the man who had been sleeping with his wife. His friends had come to stop him, he said.

At the station, the suspect was booked, his probation officer was notified and his friends were released.