By Steve Johnson
Once again on the 2000 block of Mission Street where Officer Mike Moody, Officer Matt Kenney, Officer Robert Greiner, Officer Craig Tiffe, and Officer Eric Reboli are investigating a narcotics transaction. They arrest several individuals and later locate their vehicle. A subsequent search of the car revealed several plastic bags full of narcotics as well as a large caliber firearm and 2 assault weapons with extended magazines commonly referred to as “street sweepers.”
These same officers were monitoring the many people who were congregating around a makeshift shrine dedicated to a young man who had been killed in the Mission District the evening before. Their attention was suddenly drawn to a car driving by occupied by several individuals wearing the wrong ‘color’ for the neighborhood playing very loud music in a disrespectful manner for what was taking place. The officers knew that these individuals were trying to aggravate the crowd. A brief contact ensued and, as a result, the 2 occupants of the car and their loaded gun were removed from the area.
Officer Ajay Singh and Officer Raymond Padmore were conducting Muni Fare inspections at 3rd and Williams. One individual who left the bus without proof of fare tried to ignore the officers. The officers detained him at which time he initiated a violent struggle trying to get away. There was a reason he wanted to leave the area and that was because of the loaded gun he had stuck in his waistband . . . not to mention the narcotics he was also carrying. Officer Michelle Primiano and Officer Jonathon Lucchetti soon arrived as back-up to assist putting the felon in custody.
It’ s 11:20 p.m. on a Muni bus near Columbus and Kearny where a young man is listening to music on his earphones and couldn’ t hear the threats apparently being made by the man who sat next to him. What the young man could see was the handle of a gun the suspect had hidden under his coat. The suspect eventually left the bus empty-handed with our passenger following, dialing 9-1-1. Officer Jared Harris and Officer Danilo Cruz responded and captured the suspect who was actually carrying a fully-loaded rifle.
When the car drove by them at a high rate of speed on the Lower Great Highway Officer Jasmine Suguitan and Officer Keent Chu thought something was up. It was. The driver’ s blood/alcohol level . . . Just to show how wasted this guy was, when asked if he had been drinking he forgot the standard reply, “ Only 2 beers, officer.” and admitted downing “ 6 beers and 2 shots of Hennessey” - and he was still probably hedging on that response since he blew a .26. And then, to complicate matters, the driver asks the officers to secure his backpack left in the trunk of his car, forgetting that the trunk is where he had secured an assault rifle, 3 high-capacity magazines, and several handguns, one of which was modified for a silencer.
And Officer M ari Shepard noticed a woman on the unit block of Jones Street who looked very familiar. Mari suddenly realized the woman was the suspect she had just seen on a wanted bulletin for attempted murder who was considered armed and dangerous . . . not any more.
Officer Oscar Barcena and Officer Curtis Nakano were called to a domestic violence incident in the Park District where the suspect was reportedly armed with a handgun. When they got there the suspect had barricaded himself in the bathroom of the residence. Officer Pat Burke, Officer Ed Hunt, Officer Mike M adrieres, Officer Frank M achado, Officer John Andrews, and Officer Dave Brandt responded as back-up. Good thing they did. The suspect came out and put up a tremendous struggle trying to get to any one of the 8 handguns, the assault rifle, or any of the 3 shotguns he had in his residence all loaded and ready to go.
Police work always has the potential for danger but it can also be extremely gratifying when you have the opportunity to help those who just can’t help themselves . . .
Officer Christina Hayes and Officer Donn Peterson had that chance when they came across 2 young women at Polk and Pine Streets. The youngest, 16, was a runaway from Santa Clara County and had been put out on the street by her ‘ boyfriend.’ Both women wanted to change their lives but were still being scrutinized by their pimps who just happened to drive by. The 2 suspects were detained and it turned out that one was on parole and the other was on federal probation for crimes against chidren . . .
And, on the other side of town, in the Mission District, Officer Martin Covarrubias and Officer Glenn Brakel found two 16-year old girls who were also ‘ working’ the 20th and Capp Street area as prostitutes and who wanted to turn their lives around. A subsequent investigation with Sergeant Arlin Vanderbilt taking the lead, put 3 more suspects who had been taking advantage of the young women in custody for several felony charges.
Even worse, if you can imagine, Officer Jared Lovrin and Officer Robert Trujillo were conducting a vice crime operation in the Mission District when they ran across a young woman who was soliciting. Turned out she was only 13-years old. Officer Lovrin and Officer Trujillo then set their sights on capturing the individual(s) responsible for this and did an outstanding investigation which lead to the incrimination of 2 suspects who are now in custody.
Officer Courtney Smith came across an individual who had apparently decided to end it all by climbing to the top of a 5-story building threatening to jump. Once Officer Smith arranged for medical units to respond he climbed to the roof and immediately established a rapport with the suicidal subject. It took a great deal of time but Officer Smith finally convinced the man to change his mind.
Another individual was found by Officer Brian Michaud and Officer Irene Michaud sitting on the ledge of the roof of 701 Market Street threatening to jump. Brian and Irene immediately made contact with the man and tried to settle him down until they could get a hostage negotiator and a Spanish-speaking officer. Officer Craig Canton responded as the crisis negotiator and Officer Carlos Recinos served as translator. It took over an hour of an extremely tense back-and-forth conversation with the man they were trying to save as he threatened to jump several times. The officers finally convinced him to accept their help.
But Sergeant Renota Martinez and Officer Kelly Paul were on the scene just in time to protect one of the most defenseless of all - they were driving by Cameron Way in the Double Rock Housing Projects when they saw an individual strike a small puppy with his fist. As though that wasn’ t enough the poor excuse for a human then picked the injured animal up and threw him like a baseball across the street. Renota and Kelly were all over this action in a second. They discovered the defenseless puppy had been brutalized for some time so they made sure he was in protective custody and then they ‘ threw’ a felony on the suspect.
