Numerous shots were being fired on the unit block of Cameron Way and the calls were coming in to Dispatch. Officer Paul Wilgus and Officer Jose Calvo-Perez were the first to respond. Once at the scene the officers noticed at least eight .45 caliber casings in the street. Paul and Jose, along with other officers from Bayview Station, continued their investigation checking with neighbors in the area. They soon located an individual of interest who, as it turned out, was trying to leave the vicinity while carrying a concealed and loaded weapon. Upon further investigation the officers learned that the suspect was also a convicted felon who apparently had been involved in a failed drug deal earlier and that’s when the shooting started.
And, just 3 days later, Officer Stephen Coleman and Officer Ed Barrientos had occasion to contact another subject acting suspicious while they were patrolling the same block on Cameron Way but this individual decided to run from the officers rather than cooperate with their investigation. The officers eventually caught up to him and then realized why he was running. He simply didn’t want the officers to find the loaded, .40 caliber firearm he had concealed in his waistband.
The computer in the marked unit that Officer Robert Glenn and Officer Julian Hermosura were driving was equipped with a License Plate Reader system which lit up with a “hit” on the car they were following while the officers were driving on Blythdale Avenue. The vehicle in question was pulled over and the driver removed and placed in custody while the officers conducted their investigation. Turns out that the driver/suspect was currently on parole for robbery. The officers had prior knowledge of a robbery that had occurred recently and the individual detained matched the description of the suspect and the car he was driving also matched that of the felony vehicle involved.
Officer Glenn and Officer Hermosura along with Sergeant Ajay Singh, Officer Gordon Lee, Officer Roel Dilag, Officer Joseph McCall, and Officer Sean Neary then conducted a parole search of the suspect’s residence where they found an AR-15 rifle, fully-loaded and ready to go with an extended magazine holding 30 rounds. They also located clothes that matched what the robbery suspect was wearing in the incident that occurred several days prior. Just another outstanding arrest!!
It was one of those hot Indian Summer days in the Bayview clocking somewhere close to 80 degrees so the officers patrolling the Alice Griffith neighborhood were all wondering why one of their prior acquaintances who had been arrested numerous times in the past for weapon violations and, most recently, attempted murder was walking down the street wearing a heavy parka jacket. Officer Amanda Dunne, Officer John Normant, and Officer Thomas Mora proceeded to investigate. Their inquiry was slightly delayed because when the man in the winter wardrobe saw the officers approaching he decided to run away. He then sought refuge in a green Lexus parked nearby. But what he didn’t figure on was Officer Ali Misaghi and Officer Gabriel Alcaraz were approaching from his blind side and saw him stash not 1, but 2 guns under the front seat of the car. Both weapons, a .40 caliber semi-automatic and a .380 semi-automatic were recovered at which time the officers noted they were both fully-loaded.
Officer Paul Wilgus had been busy conducting a confidential firearms investigation on Connecticut Street to the point where he had sufficient cause to obtain a search warrant on the premises. He enlisted the help of Sergeant Justin Erb, Officer Louis Hargreaves, Officer Christopher Leong, Officer Eric Eastlund, Officer Brandon Thompson, Officer Jessie Ortiz, and Officer Matthew Cloud. It was a good thing bringing some of the finest with him because when entry was made there were 6 people inside the residence. 6 people who all had access to numerous semi-automatic weapons, a modified shotgun, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Just all in a days work!
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Closer Encounters…
From Captain Simon Silverman
Richmond Station
Well Being Check
California & 18th Ave
Two officers from Richmond Station’s night watch have befriended an 84 year old woman who lives alone and has no family in the area. They regularly check up on her and last saw her the day before when they brought her a Thanksgiving dinner. However, on this night she did not answer the door and they heard her inside faintly calling out to them. They got into the house and found that the woman’s sofa bed frame had cracked causing her to fall through and become stuck. In fact, she had been trapped for over 12 hours. If the officers had not checked on her, she might have been stuck until her weekly home help visit which was still four days away. The woman was taken to the hospital to recover. While at the hospital the next day, she called SFPD dispatch because she needed her glasses, address book and cell phone from home and had no one else to get them. The officers happily got the items and delivered them to her hospital room.
Captain’s Note: I don’t usually name the officers in the newsletter, but in this case I want to recognize Officer Anna Cuthbertson and Officer Josh McFall for their caring and dedication. By the way, they didn’t deliver dinner to just this one senior citizen on Thanksgiving. They raised money from their fellow night watch officers then bought, cooked and delivered dinner to 6 seniors living alone in the Richmond. Thanksgiving was their day off, but they chose to spend it in service to others.
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From The Chief’s Office
And Ethel Newlin,
POA Friend and Supporter
Hero SFPD Recruit
Off-duty SFPD recruit helps save infant's life in San Leandro mall parking lot
Off-duty San Francisco police recruit officer Ricky Williams (247th SFPD Recruit Class) performed infant CPR on a baby who had stopped breathing while being carried in his mother’s arms. Recruit Officer Williams performed the chest compressions on the infant, while the mother performed the rescue breathing. The infant soon resuscitated and resumed breathing on his own. Recruit Officer Williams remained at the scene until paramedics arrived and transported the child to a local hospital.
The incident occurred in the parking lot of an east bay shopping center on December 13, 2015.
San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr praised the quick action of Recruit Officer Williams. "Recruit Officer Williams' immediate response is exactly what I expect from our officers and those training to become San Francisco's finest. Recruit Williams applied his training and his prompt action helped save this infant's life."
