Capt. Michael Yalon: Police Beat

Just Like on T.V.
While working undercover to address a series of commercial window smash cases, officers Warren Lee and Michael Turkington watched three men arguing near the corner of Ninth Avenue and Irving Street. Before long, two participants had thrown bicycles at each other and the third produced a can of pepper spray.

Recognizing the need for immediate intervention, the cops broke cover and approached. After a short struggle, all three were taken into custody.

Officers were never able to learn what started the argument but two of the men agreed that the third, a Golden Gate Park resident, had pulled a knife during the confrontation. All three earned trips to the station, where they took up temporary residence in separate cells.

One complained that his shoulder may have been separated and an ambulance was called to investigate. Unable to wait, the 36-year-old Inner Sunset man decided to try a home remedy. Just like Mel Gibson in one of the "Lethal Weapon" flicks, he began running into the cell wall attempting to "pop" his shoulder back in joint. During one such collision, he forgot to hold his head up and struck the wall with his noggin, ending up sprawled on the floor.

Medics had to transport him to SF General Hospital - not for his shoulder problem but for stitches for his bleeding scalp!

Why All the Buzz?
The 64th annual Stern Grove Festival has come to an end. The biggest surprise was the Indian Tabla Project show Aug. 12 - which brought about 9,000 fans to the natural amphitheater.

Despite crowds at all 10 Sunday events, problems were rare - at least until the final concert when a capacity audience came to hear jazz/pop legend Nancy Wilson. Good meadow seats are always at a premium but a group of lucky fans found an unoccupied spot at the western edge near an underground bathroom.

Someone spread a blanket over a low-growing shrub, causing a few yellow jacket bees to buzz angrily out of the undergrowth. Someone else tried to end the problem by stomping on the blanket, causing a swarm of angry bees to pour out of their underground nest. At least 15 people were stung - some multiple times and one right in her eye.

Uniformed Taraval officers cleared the area of likely targets and four of them received bee-stings for their efforts. The Red Cross, four ambulances and a fire truck rendered aid. In the end, no one required hospitalization and the concert resumed while an on-call beekeeper kept the hive under control.

Meanwhile, Red Cross workers reported a medical emergency in the seats near center stage. Our park car officer Barbara Dullea ran into the crowd accompanied by Taraval Station volunteer coordinator Mary O'Kane. They found a 65-year-old woman being held down by others.

"I can't breathe," the woman cried. And it was no wonder - as Barbara and Mary quickly determined that one of the restrainers had his arm around the victim's neck! They had him let go and the woman sat up and punched "Mother Mary" right in the jaw. Just a glancing blow, luckily. Mary wasn't injured and the woman was treated and released to her family.

"Volunteering" earned a whole new definition this day. Thanks to Mary O'Kane for being there when it counted.

Rifleman Robber Captured
Armed robbers seldom use long-arms as their weapon of choice. Rifles are too cumbersome and hard to conceal. A pistol or knife can be hidden from sight until just the right moment. That's why a series of mostly-commercial robberies came early to the attention of West Bay law enforcement officers.

Beginning in mid-July, a ski-masked bandit began his crime spree at a Daly City gas station. Bouncing between the peninsula, North Beach, Bayshore and Taraval District locations, the lone gunman showed up at hotels, markets, gas stations and fast-food venues. Often he would vault the counter and hold managers and patrons at gunpoint while they gathered cash and opened locked compartments. More than one burger or chicken patron went home shaking and hungry after witnessing a heist.

In each case, the young suspect openly brandished a rifle or shotgun. The square mileage involved made target prediction difficult, but officers from the airport to Marin were tuned-in to a getaway vehicle description and the "modus operandi." Just before midnight on Aug. 22, however, both M.O. and vehicle changed drastically after a robbery on Sargent Street.

A resident had just driven off on an errand when she realized that she had left something important behind. In a hurry, she returned home and parked, leaving her purse in the car and failing to lock the doors. Upstairs she ran - also leaving the door open behind her. And right behind came our ski-masked, rifle-toting bandit.

He demanded money, purses and wallets from inside the home. He then took the victim's keys and drove off in her white Honda CRV.

The very next evening, the suspect and Honda returned to San Francisco, this time to the Round Table Pizza on Portola Drive.

Ripping phones from the wall, the rifleman gathered $2,800 in receipts and even took the dishwasher's pocket money. His luck ran out, though, when witnesses saw the white Honda getaway vehicle. Police units converged from all directions and had the car in sight within seconds of the call being broadcast.

Ingleside Station officer Walter Contreras spotted the vehicle and stayed with it during a 10-minute high-speed chase. The suspect headed toward Hunters Point and ditched the vehicle on Dedman Street before fleeing into backyards. A tight perimeter and thorough search soon revealed both suspect and rifle.

Officer Michael Hara of the Bayview Station found 26-year-old Zachary Vanderhorst hiding in the bushes. And (surprise, surprise) he turned out to be a wanted parole violator!

Church Burglar Walks
Regular readers probably recall the April arrest of Charles Gibbs by Sgt. Joe Reilly. Gibbs had been breaking into Holy Name Church for more than a year - taking thousands of poor-box dollars and vandalizing the house of worship. After a protracted investigation, Sgt. Joe got the crime on videotape and then hid in the church to catch the perpetrator red-handed. After arrest, Gibbs confessed to multiple burglaries and he remained in jail from April to July.

The suspect's long prior record, past convictions and an unfavorable probation report led all involved to expect a long sentence after a short trial.

All that changed in Superior Court July 24. After much wrangling, the assigned district attorney let Gibbs plead to a much-reduced charge - one count of "attempted" burglary. He received credit for his time already in jail and was released on probation with a stern warning to stay away from the victimized church.

We are flabbergasted, to put it mildly!

The suspect is back on the streets. He habitually burglarizes churches, but in San Francisco that is apparently no big deal anymore. So how do you think he's going to support himself in the future? Probably not in the stock market.

September Police Forum
Please join us on Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m., at the Taraval Police Station, located at 2345 24th Ave., for the monthly police forum. Unlike many who use his services, we have long awaited our guest speaker, Medical Examiner Boyd Stevens.