By Steve Johnson
We’ve admonished criminals many times in this column that if they insist on driving without proper credentials or fail to heed to basic CVC requirements that they will probably be detained. And, if they continue to smoke marijuana with the windows rolled up then that habit will probably also result in a further investigation of their activities. Well, here we go again . . . the headlights of the car driving by late at night weren’t on so Officer Ryan Doherty and Officer Alvaro Mora decided to admonish the driver. However, as Officer Doherty approached the car he recognized the driver as being a wanted fugitive with a $1,000,000 warrant outstanding. This individual was quickly cuffed as Officer Edward Zeltser and Officer Jose Perez backed up the initial unit. Good thing they did, the passenger of the car was trying to walk away and dispose of the fully-loaded, .38 caliber revolver he had concealed on his person.
The individual definitely didn’t want to make eye contact with Officer Joseph Tomlinson and Officer DeClan Flannery so he stepped into a nearby store trying to avoid their attention. The officers just happened to walk in to the same store as he was walking out. A consensual contact revealed a fully-loaded, revolver tucked away in his waistband . . . something he really didn’t need while shopping at the “Perfect Paws Grooming Salon” . . . one would think.
Again, the suspect didn’t want anything to do with Officer Ali Misaghi and Officer Gabriel Alcaraz who were innocently walking their beat on the 1000 block of Connecticut. The beat is notorious for shootings, drug-dealing and other felony endeavors. Nevertheless, their paths did cross and the suspect was relieved of the loaded, 9mm semi-automatic weapon he so poorly concealed.
Now, let’s face it . . . when you have 2 prior concealed firearms arrests, you belong to a notorious motorcycle gang, and you are stopped in front of a marked police car on 3rd Street – the last thing you want to do is take off reaching speeds of over 75 mph – you would think. Even Officer Charlie Ng and Officer Tri Hoang had a hard time understanding what they saw but nevertheless, they made the obligatory traffic stop. The detained individual admitted that he was just ‘showing off’ but that still didn’t explain the reason why he had the loaded, .44 magnum tucked in his waistband.
Moving out to the Taraval District we have another motorist speeding by a marked police unit on 19th Avenue which resulted in a traffic stop by Officer Brandon McKelley and Officer Jose Hernandez. Result: Another loaded, semi-automatic recovered and the driver in custody.
Two suspects armed with guns robbed the gas station at 1200 LaPlaya. They also terrorized customers in the convenience store area of the station. Sergeant Russ Gordon was the first unit on the scene and managed to get an excellent description of the suspect’s vehicle which was broadcast city-wide. Interestingly enough, Sergeant James O’Malley was stopped at a red light at the intersection of Portola and Shaunessy in his marked police car and, after hearing the vehicle description, noticed that it perfectly matched the car stopped right next to his . . . Jim calmly called for back-up and the first unit on the scene was Sergeant James Miller who assisted in the felony traffic stop resulting in the apprehension of both suspects and the recovery of their guns.
(The suspects had no idea they were captured by 2 sergeants who have over 50 years’ experience between them.)
The man was ringing doorbells at homes in the vicinity of 32nd and Judah when the 9-1-1 calls started coming in. Officer Diane Khuu, Officer Benny Lew, and Officer Michael Pheng responded. The officers came upon a suspect who refused to cooperate in their investigation and, when asked to show his hands he instead pulled out a large butcher knife from his backpack. The armed suspect was not responding to the officers’ repeated requests to put the knife down. The officers finally rushed the suspect and managed to restrain him even though their own lives were in extreme danger.
Officer Tommie Bartley and Officer Pat McNichol were driving in the area of Newhall and LaSalle when they heard rapid gunshots coming from an intersection 1 block away. When they arrived at the location an individual yelled to the officers that the suspect walking away had just shot at him. The chase was on with the armed suspect attempting to discard his weapon while trying to escape but he never succeeded. Suspect and gun in-custody. A subsequent investigation revealed the victim had been robbed and didn’t realize, at first, that he also sustained a serious gunshot to his upper torso. The outstanding medical teams at San Francisco General Hospital saved this individual’s life.
And how’s this for creepy . . . a suspect broke into a Pacific Heights residence where only the teenage children were at home (the parents were attending a fund-raising event.) The kids heard something in one of the bedrooms. Even though the door was closed to the bedroom the shadow from the light showing at the bottom of the door revealed movement inside. One of the teenagers opened to see who was there and found a naked intruder. A 9-1-1 call brought Officer Ryan Mariano, Officer Marcus Chow, Officer Mark Roan, Officer Jeffrey Chow, and Officer Darius Jones who expertly coordinated a search of the 4-story residence and located the suspect who was a parolee with an extensive record that would now add burglary to his resume.
Officer Jesse Cruz and Officer Brandon Harris responded to an apartment building on the 1000 block of Sutter Street in the area regarding a burglary. Dispatch advised the officers that the suspect was still in the building. When the officers arrived, they were allowed entry into the building by the 911 caller. Sergeant Eddie Cheung also responded and located the suspect on a fire escape in between two buildings Officer Cruz ordered him to come down. The suspect ignored Officer Cruz’s commands and continued into an open window. The officers climbed the fire escape and followed the suspect into the unit which was completely dark and appeared to be empty. Officer Cruz located the burglar in the kitchen area and ordered him on the ground. Instead, the suspect turned and challenged Officer Cruz walking towards him while holding a backpack that could have contained a weapon. Officer Cruz was able to control the suspect’s movements and took him into custody. The suspect had in his possession several stolen items from various apartments which victim tenants identified. This guy was definitely not the Jason Bourne type . . .
A couple was in their home watching television on the 200 block of Green Street when they heard a loud crashing sound in the rear portion of their apartment. They then heard footsteps and the sound of their back door slamming closed. The husband went to investigate and found a suspect on the rear terrace. The husband chased the suspect who managed to climb an iron fence and then fled west on Green Street. The couple suddenly realized that the suspect had been in their home. Officer James Johnson, Officer Kurt Macaulay, and Officer Tiffany Gunter responded to the scene. They obtained a description of the suspect and, with the assistance of Officers Edmund Huang, Officer James Horan and Sergeant T they were successful in locating and taking the hot-prowl burglary suspect into custody.
I congratulate veteran POA member Greg Suhr on his recent appointment to Chief of Police. It’s a well-deserved promotion for a very capable guy who won’t forget his roots. Well-done, Mayor Lee!
