Capt. Denis O'Leary: Police Beat

Long Arm of the Law
Sergeant Bragagnolo and officers Scott and Lyons were patrolling in plain clothes near Randolph and Head streets May 16 when they saw a reckless driver running stop signs in a pickup truck. The officers called for a marked radio car to make a traffic stop. A pursuit ensued, but it was quickly cancelled by a Taraval street sergeant due to the danger the reckless driver caused.

Ingleside officers soon found the suspect in their district and tried to stop him. The suspect attempted to run over those officers and shots were fired at the driver. The driver eluded officers and abandoned his truck on the 280 Freeway. The next day the suspect was identified after an investigation by Taraval Station officers.

On May 22, Taraval Neighborhood Team officers, led by Sergeant Williams, saw the suspect riding a mini-bike on the 2900 block of San Jose Avenue. After losing sight of the suspect, the officers went to his house in the 100 block of Sadowa Street. There the suspect slammed his garage door on the officers and took off, jumping over backyard fences on the 100 block of Broad Street before being arrested.

The suspect had bullet wounds that needed treatment and he was booked into San Francisco General Hospital's Jail Ward. A warrant was attained to search the suspect's house, where it revealed copious amounts of drugs, money and guns.

A Cup of Joe
Employees at the Taraval Street Safeway grew suspicious when a man entered the store with an empty dufflebag. They watched as he attempted to open a locked liquor display. After failing to get into the display, the man was seen placing 10 jars of coffee into the bag.

When the store workers approached the man near the front door, he ran away and tried to throw the coffee away. But the thief tripped over a planter in the parking lot and was placed under citizen's arrest by the clerks. Officers Gehrke and Dennis answered the call for service and soon discovered that the suspect had done this before ­ making this crime a felony. Further investigation revealed that the man was in possession of a crack pipe, hypodermic needles and false identification. He was booked at Taraval Station.

A Bird in the Hand
Taraval Station officers are on the lookout for two men seen running from a pet store in the 3400 block of Judah Street. The men stole a bird cage containing two Mexican Devil Yellowhead birds, valued at more than $5,000. The bird cage was valued at $100.

A Polite Robber
A good citizen called the police to report that a man was committing a strong-arm robbery at Randolph and Bright streets. The suspect was seen knocking down a woman as he took her purse. The victim gave chase and begged the suspect to take her money but leave her purse behind ­ the suspect obliged.

Officers Wilson, Wong, and Lopez were soon on the scene. Wong and Lopez found a man matching the suspect's description and the victim identified him as her attacker. The suspect admitted robbing the woman and explained he had ended a recent period of sobriety with a drinking and drug-taking binge. The man was apologetic and Wilson noted in his arrest report that he was "unusually cooperative and polite during his arrest and booking."

Shabu Bust
Taraval Station's Street Crime Unit's Sgt. Rick Galande was conducting a surveillance in the 2500 block of 16th Avenue because neighbors had complained of a house on the block involved in narcotics activity. When numerous guests entered the house, Galande and his officers gained entry to the house. With knowledge that the host was on probation and subject to a search of his house at any time, the officers conducted a probation search of the residence.

Four men were booked at Taraval Station on narcotics charges; they were in possession of crystal methamphetamine ­ known as Shabu in Filipino slang.

Who's Right and Who's Wrong?
A man called the police to report that his car had been vandalized in the 1300 block of 20th Avenue.

The victim's friend had stood in an empty parking space and argued with a motorist over the use of the space. Soon a shoving match ensued.

The victim parked his car after the irate motorist left the scene, but returning to his parked car later, the victim found that its paint job had been ruined by someone scratching it with a key. A witness described the vandal to the victim and his friend ­ the description matched the motorist who had earlier fought with the friend. The California Vehicle Code prohibits pedestrians from standing in the roadway between two intersections controlled by traffic signs and/or signals. The 1300 block of 20th Avenue is such a roadway.

Capt. Denis O'Leary is the commanding officer at the Taraval Police Station.