Police Blotter

Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Under the Influence of Alcohol in Public Place: May 14, 8:30 a.m., Geary Boulevard and Collins Street
Police dispatch received a call concerning a man on a Muni bus who was flashing a knife.

Officers responding to the scene stopped to talk to a woman who had just got off the bus the suspect was allegedly riding on. The woman said the suspect, who had been waving a butcher knife on the bus, had gotten off and was walking toward Masonic Avenue.

Officers caught up with the suspect, who was detained without incident. In the waistband of the 20-year-old suspect's underwear was a silver hammer and a butcher knife. The suspect had slurred speech and a small amount of blood on his shirt. The suspect said he cut his thumb and wiped the blood on the shirt.

The knife was confiscated as evidence and the suspect was booked.

Methamphetamine Offense: May 16, 7:27 p.m., 700 Block of Clement Street
Two plainclothes police officers were cruising down Clement Street when they noticed a car without a rear license plate driving slowly down the street.

After the vehicle pulled over on Clement Street, the officers, after identifying themselves, approached the driver and asked him for the vehicle's paperwork.

In the process of investigating the driver, the officers discovered he was on a five-year probationary period for manufacturing a controlled substance. A condition of his parole allowed officers to search him at any time.

When the officers asked the suspect if he had anything illegal in his possession, the man voluntarily said he had some methamphetamine in the car.

A small amount of suspected meth was recovered and transported to the police department's crime laboratory for testing.

The suspect was booked.

Aggravated Assault with Weapon: May 4, 2:55 a.m., 800 Block of La Playa
A man was struck in the head with a bottle in the parking lot of a shopping center.

Officers were called, responded and discovered the suspect at 43rd Avenue and Lincoln Way.

The victim, who reported being dizzy, said he did not know the suspect, but he was able to identify him in a cold show.

After the suspect struck the victim, the victim threw the bottle at the suspect as he was fleeing. A search of the area for the weapon was commenced.

The suspect, who had an outstanding warrant for a parole violation, was booked for assault and resisting arrest charges.

Possession of Narcotics Paraphernalia, Petty Theft with Prior Conviction: May 6, 2:57 a.m., 4000 Block of Geary Boulevard
Two officers were on patrol cruising Geary Boulevard when they passed a supermarket where two people were wrestling with a suspected shoplifter.

The officers made a quick entrance on the scene and secured the suspect.

One witness, who was getting out of a taxicab, noticed the suspect crawling into the store and decided to watch his activities. The suspect crawled into a closed check-out lane and put some items into his sweatshirt.

But the suspect was noticed by an employee at the store, who had expelled the suspect once before for shoplifting.

"Stop. Put it back," the employee yelled.

The 46-year-old suspect tried to run out of the door, but was detained by the witness from the taxicab and the store employee.

The suspect tried, unsuccessfully, to talk his way out of captivity. He started to struggle to get away when the officers noticed the commotion on the sidewalk outside the store.

A computer check of the suspect discovered previous arrests for theft and a stay-away order that was issued by a court in favor of the supermarket. The suspect, who had no money and a suspected crack pipe in his possession, was booked.

Arson: May 13, 2 p.m., Turk Street and Chabot Terrace
Public safety officers at a local university detained a woman who reportedly started a fire in a U.S. Postal box.

Two witnesses saw the suspect light a piece of paper on fire and attempt to drop it in the mailbox. Despite the pleas of the witnesses, the woman dropped the lit paper in the box.

The witnesses then flagged down university safety officers, who detained the suspect and called the Richmond Police Station.

The suspect, who admitted to the attempted arson, was taken to the Richmond Station, where officers from the department's arson squad and the U.S. Postal Office also responded. The woman, who had three packs of matches in her possession, but did not smoke, was charged for an arson offense.

Warrant Arrest: May 14, 6:49 p.m., 500 Block of 48th Avenue
Police officers on patrol in an unmarked vehicle noticed a group of people congregating in the middle of 48th Avenue, near a pickup truck with its doors open.

The area, near a public park, is known as a place where people consume alcohol and drugs and listen to loud music while participating in sexual activity.

The plainclothes officers approached the group and identified themselves as police officers, causing one of the occupants in the pickup truck to take off running. While in pursuit, one of the officers noticed the suspect throw an object, suspected of being marijuana, on the ground. When the suspect slipped as he was running, he was caught and handcuffed.

A search of the suspect turned up a second bag of suspected marijuana, which the suspect said he needed for medicinal purposes. He said he had a medical marijuana card issued in Sonoma County.

A computer search turned up an outstanding warrant for the suspect's arrest in Marin County and he was detained.

Burglary: May 11, 1:14 a.m., 100 Block of 25th Avenue
An alert resident notified police that someone was stealing tools out of a portable tool shed.

Officers arrived on the scene and detained two suspects, who had a pickup truck loaded with tools. The owner of the tools was notified and arrived on the scene in about 10 minutes. He identified the tools as his own and said he did not know the suspects.

Because the tools were necessary for the victim's business, they were released back into his custody. Both suspects were on probation and one of the suspects had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The vehicle was confiscated pending an investigation.