precita.org

There have been a couple interesting comments from local residents posted on SFGate in relation to their 2 sentence article about Friday (8/22/08 at 12:05am) morning's shooting at 26th and Folsom.

captian_maxxx posted a message on SFGate.com:

Last night at about 12:05 am I almost had a heart attack. The shooting was unbelievably loud and resounding followed by a calm and eerie silence. I thought at first it was more fireworks. I carefully peeked out the window scared to see and not see what was happening. The cops were there before anyone could call them. They were trying in vain to help the guy who was shot three times.

sf_mission_res posted a message on SFGate.com:

I live at 26th and Folsom and ran outside with my neighbor to speak with the police to find out what happened after hearing the gunshots. While pleasantly surprised that they showed up, they wouldn't even let us know that a shooting took place and yelled at us to leave the area. I politely pleaded that they provide us information since we were not only scared, our kids were freaking out. Refusing to leave until we got an answer, one of the officers started to push me and threatened to arrest me for standing on the street. So funny because there are no less than 100 undocumented "day laborers" and drunks on this corner every morning. And straight from the mouth of the Mission District captain at the police meetings I diligently attend "We can't arrest someone just for standing on the street or corner". I and the neighborhood groups I'm involved with, have been begging the city and police department to do something on this block, as it is out of control. So pathetic - so sad.

If you were an eyewitness to this event, or close by and have more to add, please leave a comment and let us know more!

Labels: crime

Cbs5.com is reporting a shooting at Folsom and 26th, 12:05am Friday morning: "When officers arrived, they found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was taken to San Francisco General Hospital where he died"

UPDATE: SFgate is reporting that the victim was 47-year-old Samuel Mitchell of San Francisco, and that there have been no reports of an arrest.

26th Street is turning out to be a pretty unsafe street in the Mission. According the the SF Crime Blog, there have been five previous homicides on or near 26th in the last 18 months:

1. 26th and Mission Streets, 11:35 p.m., January 7, 2008


2. South Van Ness Ave. between 25th and 26th Streets, 6:45 p.m., February 8, 2008


3. 3000 block of Harrison Street (at 26th), 9:30 p.m., April 30th, 2008


4. Folsom and 25th Streets, October 11, 2007


5. 26th and Harrison Streets, May 2, 2007

Labels: crime

From the Police Blotter:

August 11, 2008 Precita Ave. & Harrison St. Attempted Armed Robbery: Gun

A 21 year old Oakland man found himself surrounded by four men as he walked to his car [update: which was parked just west of the Leonard Flynn School on the north side of Precita -in the dark area under the trees]. One of the men demanded his cell phone and the man refused to surrender it. The victim was knocked to the ground and struck over the head with a handgun. The four fled without taking anything from the victim. The victim heard a shot fired as the perpetrators ran away.

It sounds like there is far more story to this "event" than is being posted in the police blotter. Anyone know more about what's going on here? It's also unclear of which side of the park this was on. If you noticed a group of four men loitering around the park, can you describe them? Please post a comment if you can.

Labels: crime, gangs, Neighborhood Watch, police blotter, Precita Park

July 31st, 10:20 pm 3300 block of Mission St. Armed Robbery - Gun

A grocery store clerk found a 20 to 35 year old black male standing behind him with a gun in his hand demanding money from the clerk's register. The clerk complied and the robber fled on foot from the store. Inspector Boes from the Robbery Detail took over the case.

Labels: crime, Neighborhood Watch

Residential Burglary on July 11th at between 8:40 and 9:15 am on the 3200 block of Folsom St. No forced entry. iPod and laptop computer taken.

Remember to keep all your doors and windows locked, even if you're just leaving your home for 20 minutes.

Labels: crime, Neighborhood Watch, Precita Valley Neighbors

Friday, July 11, 2008, 2:45 am Auto Burglary on the 300 block of Precita Ave.

A resident heard her car alarm and saw a man rummaging through her car's glovebox. The man ran away and a witness pointed out his escape route to Officer Anderson and Officer Finely. They detained a man in the Mission District but no one could identify him as the thief.

There have been other reports of car breakins in the neighborhood lately. Please be vigilant and don't leave stuff in your car that will make a thief think there is something in the car.

Labels: crime, police blotter, Precita Park, Precita Valley Neighbors

This is extremely unacceptable. We cannot let Precita Park be infiltrated by violent criminals. Be vigilant and call 911 when you see suspicious activity in the park... SFPD appreciates our neighborhood help in keeping the park crime-free.

June 23rd, 10:55 pm Precita Park Armed Robbery

A 21 year old Bernal Heights man was set upon by four suspects as he walked by Precita Park. He resisted their efforts to rob him and one of the four struck him in the head with a pistol. The robbers fled with the man's belongings.

Remember: SFPD asks you to call 911 for any immediate threat to life or property. Don't hesitate. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Labels: crime, Precita Park

Bernal Resident murdered near Holly Park Circle and Newman: William Amrull, a 50-year old man was "shot in the stomach and killed early Thursday [June 26th] around the corner from his home. Amrull's body was found shortly before 3 a.m. on the sidewalk near Holly Park Circle and Newman Street, near Holly Park."

If you're concerned about things like this, please contact Maya Dillard-Smith, of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice. Maya.Smith@sfgov.org, 415-554-3297. Ms. Dillard-Smith was hired to coordinate the development of a violence prevention plan for the City and County of San Francisco, but this plan has been in the works since February and hasn't been released yet.

Labels: Cortland Ave, crime, Neighborhood Watch, News

Wed, Jun 25th, 10 pm at Cortland Ave. & Elsie St. : Armed Robbery - Shot Fired

A 40 year old Bernal Heights woman was walking on Cortland Avenue when a suspect tried to pull her purse from her. She resisted and the robber fired one shot from a handgun into the ground. The suspect pulled the bag from the victim and ran south on Elsie Street.

Neighbors: let's not let this kind of thing escalate into our neighborhood. Please contact contact Supervisor Ammiano online, or call his office at 554-5144 and tell him you're concerned about the rash of violent crime in Bernal. You can also email his office directly at Tom.Ammiano@sfgov.org.

Labels: Cortland Ave, crime, Neighborhood Watch, police blotter

Thursday night, June 19th, at about 12:30 am., a car parked on the 1500 block of Treat had the window smashed and a Palm Pilot was stolen from inside the car.

We also heard another car on Treat was broken into the same night, and an iPod was stolen, and yet another car had a CD player stolen from it.

The first break-in was reported to police, but it did not show up in the published police incident log.

Labels: car breakings, crime, Neighborhood Watch, Precita Valley Neighbors

A Toyota Four Runner was stolen from Precita between Treat and Harrison, Sunday, May 25th, between the hours of 1-6 am.

UPDATE 3-Jun-08: The car was recovered in Redwood City, with beer bottles and sandwich wrappers in it, and gas tank empty.

Labels: crime

9:30 am, 23 May 08 1600 block of Florida St.

Attempted Robbery. A 34 year old Bernal Heights man loaded his car for a trip and left the trunk open while retrieving more items. He returned to the car to find a thief carrying off a loaded cooler. The man confronted the thief, who threatened the man with a baseball bat. The man recovered his cooler and the thief fled in a van.

Note to neighbors: we've been getting reports of more aggressive behavior from the homeless/street people and scavengers. If you come across someone going through your garbage who acts in an aggressive nature, you should call 911 to report it.

Labels: crime, police blotter

Suspects in the recent rash of street robberies are in custody. The SFPD is asking that victims of robberies, or witnessed a robbery & can identify the suspects, please contact Inspector Danker at 553-9256.

The police & the DA need the cooperation of the community to keep dangerous criminals off the street. If you or someone you know is the victim of a crime please report it & give us the tools we need to make this a safer place to live, work, & grow.

Once again, regarding the robbery suspects, contact Inspector Danker at 415 553-9256.

Labels: crime, Neighborhood Watch, police blotter, Precita Park, Precita Valley Neighbors, pvn

A stabbing was reported at 11:35 p.m. on Saturday, May 10th, at Harrison and 26th streets.
Definitely this intersection gets more than its share of crime

Labels: crime

SAN FRANCISCO / 3 men arrested, may be tied to muggings:

"Police arrested three men Monday for allegedly mugging a man at gunpoint in Potrero Hill and they say the three may be connected to a recent series of robberies in Glen Park and Bernal Heights.
Police arrested Deljuan Bankston, 21, of Oakland and Tony Carter, 20, and Artes Tims, 18, both of San Francisco, shortly after a man was robbed in Potrero Hill."

There was a more detailed followup article later:
Police arrest suspected muggers who may be connected to other S.F. attacks:

"Ingleside Station Police Capt. Denis O'Leary said the latest suspects may have links to some of the recent robberies in Glen Park and Bernal Heights. While Monday's mugging occurred in Potrero Hill, O'Leary said police believe the suspects fled through Holly Park and Glen Park before they were found near Ceasar Chavez Street.
'We do see some similar patterns in this arrest and prior robberies,' he said."

(Via SF Gate.)

Labels: crime

The Martha Brothers coffee shop at 745 Cortland Avenue was robbed this morning, April 29th, around 5:30 AM. Here's the police report:

A black male about 19 to 23 years old, standing 5'9" tall, weighing about 140 pounds, wearing a dark brown hooded sweatshirt, a black ski mask, and blue jeans entered the Martha Brothers coffee shop and brandished a black revolver. He demanded that all present, three employees and two customers, get on the floor. The robber took cash from the shop's cash register and fled the store. No car was seen and the area was searched to no avail. Inspector Danker of the Robbery Detail took over the case. CSI processed the scene. SFPD # 080446957

While not specifically Precita Valley, this is an area where many Precita area residents shop.

Labels: Cortland Ave, crime, police blotter

An article in the Chronicle talks about a spate of muggings in Glen Park and nearby Bernal Heights:

The Ingleside police district, which includes those neighborhoods, reported 52 robberies last month, up from 32 in March 2007; robberies increased only slightly citywide during the same period.

The robberies occur between 6 and 9 p.m. and are carried out by groups of two or three teenagers in cars, probably coming from other parts of the city. The holdups do not all appear to be linked to the same perpetrators, though.

We've reported a few of these robberies here, and many people are attributing the increase of crime to higher gas prices and the current economic downturn. So keep your eyes open, report suspicious behavior to 911.

We just got this forwarded from the Dogpatch Neighborhood Assoc:

I have lived on 22nd street for 10 years. Last night around 10:00, my
friend and I were robbed on 22nd Street at Minnesota.
A gun was fired, though not directly at us. We were
lucky, the police informed us that a couple were
robbed about 10 minutes before, at gunpoint, although
they too were unharmed, just traumatized.  As far as I
know two of three suspects are in custody.  A vehicle
was recovered and suspects found in the Potrero
projects. We are waiting to hear if our purses are
among the items recovered

I learned several interesting details from the
investigating officers that I thought I would pass on.

1. The past two weeks have seen a sharp increase in
armed robbery in dogpatch/potrero. (If the chron is
any indicator,
it is not just our neighborhood)

2. They hit multiple victims until they get the money
that they need for that night and then go buy whatever
it is that they want/need.

3. They used a getaway car, which allowed them to get
to the Potrero projects quickly. The officers think
that the shots fired after the crime means that they
were sending a signal to the driver that they were
done and to come get them.

4. They were apparently hiding in the small park that
people use as a dog park on 22nd btwn Minnesota and
Indiana. I parked on that block, and as we exited the
car and were crossing 22nd, they approached us in the
middle of the street asking for directions. We knew
exactly what was happening but there wasn't a soul
around or car in sight. We just threw our purses to
the ground and told them to take them. The whole thing
was over in under 30 seconds.

Please, tell our neighbors to be vigilant, pay
attention to their surroundings, and that there is
nothing in their purses and wallets worth getting shot
over. These people were armed and at least one of them
is still out there.

Here's another report from the Dogpatch area from the Police Blotter:

April 26, 2008-Robbery, Street w/gun-20th/Tennessee-3:56pm-CN#080437053:

Members of Bayview plainclothes unit responded to 20th/Tennessee regarding a robbery. Officers spoke with the victim who told officers that she had spoken to a person on the phone regarding buying a laptop computer from him that he had listed on Craig’s List. The person on the phone told her to meet him at 20th/Tennessee. She arrived and saw a person standing under the bus shelter. She approached the man and asked if he was the one with the laptop for sale. The man replied by telling her to give him her purse. The suspect then pulled out a silver gun and demanded her purse. The suspect ran from the scene with the purse. She chased him down the block while screaming for help. The suspect threw her purse under a car and kept going. Officers searched the area for the suspect, to no avail. The victim was not hurt during the incident.

So there is a lot of stuff going on. Don't be a victim: be aware, but also don't be scared.

Labels: crime

5:35 am April 28th Crescent & Folsom Streets

A 29 year old Bernal Heights man was standing in a bus stop when a black SUV stopped in front of him. Two men approached him from the vehicle. One of the men pointed a chrome hand gun at the victim and demanded that he empty his pockets. The robbers took the victim's belongings and fled in the SUV. Inspector Bini of the Robbery Detail took over both cases.

5:53 pm April 28th Chenery & Miguel Streets

A 50 year old Upper Noe Valley woman had her purse taken by a robber. The man then ran to a black Honda four door and fled the scene in the car.

There were a lot of shoplifting incidents today at Safeway that many neighbors shop at:

12:15 pm 3300 block of Mission Street

Officer Jones responded to a grocery store and took custody of a Visitacion Valley juvenile on shoplifting charges. The 16 year old female was wanted on a Juvenile Court warrant and was turned over to a Probation Officer on the warrant and burglary charges. SFPD # 080443903

3 pm 3300 block of Mission Street

Officer Thompson took custody of a shoplifting suspect and cited the 54 year old SOMA man for petty theft. SFPD # 080444553

4:20 pm 3300 block of Mission Street

Officer McWilliams took custody of a shoplifting suspect and booked a 34 year old man at Ingleside Station for petty theft because he did not qualify for release on a promise to appear. SFPD # 080445040

Labels: crime, police blotter

April 16, 2008 8:55 pm 100 block of Precita Ave.

A witness saw two robbers sneak up on two women as they walked on Precita Avenue. The robbers took the womens' purses and ran to Coso Avenue where they fled in a white four door car with a blue fender.

[There seems to be a slight rash or purse-snatchings on Precita between Mission and Shotwell, keep your eyes open! - Editor]

Labels: crime, police blotter

Police Captain Denis O'Leary informs us:

The Bernal Heights neighborhood has been struck by robbers in a Chevrolet Astro van with a stripe on its side. This van may have been used in robberies in other parts of San Francisco. Report suspicious activity to the police.

Ingleside Station has increased its staffing in the Bernal Heights neighborhood.

[The events happened last night, on the South side of Bernal Hill park.]


April 14th 8:30 pm Ellsworth St. & Eugenia Ave.

A 36 year old Bernal Heights woman was confronted by two robbers who demanded her purse. She surrendered her wallet and the two men ran away.

April 14th 10:10 pm Bocana St. & Powhattan Ave.

A 35 year old Bernal Heights woman was walking home when two robbers approached her from a green Chevrolet Astro van with a stripe on its side. One of the robbers placed a hard object against the victim's side and demanded her belongings. The woman surrendered a Walkman and a coin purse. The robbers fled in the van.

Labels: crime, police blotter

From the police blotter: good news: they caught the guys. Bad news, some innocent bystander's van got shot up.

4:15 pm Cesar Chavez and Bryant Streets

Ingleside and Mission Station officers responded to the neighborhood on the call of shots fired. Citizens reported seeing a gunman firing shots from an SUV. The investigation brought officers to the first block of Gold Mine Drive in the Diamond Heights neighborhood. There the officers found a handgun and ammunition. Three males: a 19 year old from the Mission District, another 19 year from Diamond Heights, and a 17 year old from the mid-Market Street neighborhood, were arrested for aggravated assault and gang charges.

Labels: crime, gang, gangs, police blotter, precita, Precita Park, Precita Valley Neighbors, pvn

We received an anonymous comment about the shots fired Friday early evening:

You bet thre were shots fired. My van was struck at 564 Precita. Major damage done. Police investigated, no arrest, no motive. Some kind of pursuit on foot and car. will send pics of damage to my vehicle and have poilce report number if interested.

This is near the liquor store on the corner of Florida and Precita. Glad no one got hurt. If you can post the pics on flickr or somewhere, we'd like to see them.

Labels: crime

We just enjoying the lovely day outside, above Precita Park, and heard 5 shots fired at about 4:08pm. Couldn't tell exactly where they were coming from, definitely somewhere down near Cesar Chavez, probably between Folsom and Alabama.

Anyone else hear them?

Update: Shots were fired near Precita and Florida, a van was damaged. No one was hurt.

Labels: crime, police blotter

According to the SFPD: A 26 year old Mission District man reported being mugged. He was struck in the face by his assailant and his wallet was taken on April 9th at 1AM (Wednesday early morning) at Precita Avenue and Folsom Street.

Labels: crime, police blotter, Precita Park, Precita Valley Neighbors

SFGate has an interesting, interactive map of Homicides in San Francisco 2007/2008. Zoom in to see the clump around S. Van Ness and C. Chavez.

Labels: crime

San Francisco Crime: Two Mission District shootings kill 1, injure 3: "A 16 year-old boy was shot in the arm and leg at 26th and Shotwell Streets at 7:30 p.m. He was transported to SFGH with non-life-threatening injuries."

(Via the excellent San Francisco Crime Blog and tipster Marijane.)

SF Gate also has this:

A teen was transported to a local hospital after being shot in the arm and leg while in the Mission District Saturday, according to a San Francisco Police Department spokesman.
The 16-year-old victim was standing at the corner of 26th and Shotwell streets around 7:30 p.m. when the suspect allegedly approached him and fired shots for no reason, spokesman Neville Gittens said.
The victim sustained gunshot wounds to one arm and one leg and was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, said Gittens.
Police suspect the incident may have been gang-related.

So that accounts for the sound of gunfire and the tons of sirens shortly thereafter.

There was another fatal shooting at this same location in December of 2006. Because of that, several cameras were installed at that intersection. Apparently, the cameras had no deterrent effect on this crime.







We wonder if the cameras recorded anything useful, or if they help expedite the arrivals of police and ambulances? Or were they useful at all?

Labels: crime, gang, gangs, Neighborhood Watch, police blotter, Precita Park

Anyone know any details on the sounds of gunfire followed shortly thereafter by lots of sirens were? The sounds of the gunshots seemed to come from the eastern end of Precita Park.

(Update: turns out it was a shooting at 26th and Shotwell, one injured.)

Labels: crime, Precita Park

There have been three armed robberies reported to the police in the past three days:

February 27th    10 pm    500 block of Crescent Avenue 
February 28th       7:45 pm    Gates Street and Tompkins Avenue 
February  28th      8:30 pm     300 block of Chenery Street 

The armed suspect's description is similar in all three cases:

16 to 20 years old black male standing 5'6" to 5'9" tall, weighing 140 to 150 pounds, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt over black pants, carrying a black semi-automatic handgun.

(A semi-automatic handgun, in case you don't know, it basically a pistol... like a Glock you might see in a movie.)

Labels: crime

A residential burglary occurred between 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm on February 25th on the 1500 block of Florida Street (between Chavez and Precita).

Labels: crime

Sorry for the late notice, but there is a Precita Valley Neighbors Monthly Meeting happening tomorrow at Charlie's Deli, Saturday, February 16th, 10am – 11:00am.


Charlie’s Deli is located at 3202 Folsom Street (Folsom at Precita)


AGENDA:

I. Precita Park Landscaping and Lighting Update. The storms have taken out several trees and other ground concerns.
II. Precita Area Crime Update.
III. Miscellaneous.

Labels: crime, Precita Valley Neighbors, trees

(Van Ness was blocked off from 26th to 25th on Friday night at 7pm - not sure when the street was closed. There was a ton of police activity in the area; on the side streets, driving around. Suprised that the news took so long to show up.)

Man shot to death in the Mission: "No arrests yet in street killing in S.F.'s Mission District

Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

(02-12) 12:24 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- Police are searching for two men who walked up to a 21-year-old San Francisco man on the street in the Mission District and shot him to death, authorities said today.

Jose Reynoso and two friends were standing on the 1400 block of South Van Ness Avenue, near 25th Street, around 6:45 p.m. Friday when the two men opened fire, said police Sgt. Steve Mannina.

Reynoso was struck in the head and chest and taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died the next day. Witnesses provided only sketchy descriptions of the killers, who fled on foot.

link

--------------------------------------

This one got almost no media. It happened on Friday, but there was no news until today. Further more, SFgate inserted it straight into the crime section, rather than put it on the front page first, like they do for EVERY other crime story, such as the 3 different articles about murder in Oakland. Funny how the SF article is all but ignored...And in the meantime front page headlines shout about Oakland and it's 'continuing bloodshed.'
"

(Via San Francisco Crime.)

Labels: crime

Police Captain Denis F. O'Leary send us this warning:

Community Alert! Three residences in Bernal Heights suffered burglaries on December 11th. Two occurred on the 100 block of Elsie Street and one occurred on the 100 block of Precita Avenue.

All burglaries occurred during daylight hours when the residents were not home. No forced entry was found at any scene. A digital camera was taken in the Precita burglary and jewelry was taken in the Elsie Street burglaries. Please be aware of your surroundings and report suspicious people to the police.

Ingleside station has increased staffing in the Bernal Heights neighborhood in an effort to thwart these crimes.

Details:

6:26 pm 100 block of Elsie Street Residential Burglary (occurred between 11:30 am & 4:45 pm)
8:35 pm 100 block of Elsie Street Residential Burglary (occurred between 9:30 am & 7:30 pm)
8:53 pm 100 block of Precita Avenue Residential Burglary (occurred between 8:30 am & 8 pm)

Labels: crime, Neighborhood Watch, Precita Valley Neighbors

Not exactly right in Precita Valley, but still disturbingly close according to
SFgate:

The most recent shooting was reported around 3:20 a.m. Sunday in the Mission District area of Treat Avenue and 23rd Street, police said. Three victims with gunshot wounds were found and transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where one was pronounced dead and the other two remained in critical condition, police said.

What is up with all the shootings lately? There seems to be a lot of anger out there right now.

Labels: crime

06/21/07 10:46 pm Precita and Folsom

Officers Jason Gallagher and Robin Odum were on patrol responding to
complaints of juveniles loitering, drinking, and using drugs in the
Harrison and Ripley area. They observed several suspects, who upon seeing
the officers, ran towards Precita Park. The officers gave chase and caught
up to the suspects at Precita and Folsom. Two juveniles, who live on the
200 block of 14th Street and the 5600 block of Diamond Heights, had a
significant quantity of crack cocaine and marijuana. They were both
arrested. Case #070628165

Labels: crime, drugs, police blotter

06/14/2007 8:13 pm Precita Park

Ingleside officers responded to a report of a fight in the park. Officer Daggett, Off. Alvarez, Off. Horan, and Off. Sullivan detained four subjects. One of the detained males had a warrant and was booked at Ingleside Station. Case #060072970

Labels: crime, police blotter

On 05/23/07 at 8:18 pm at Precita and Folsom: Attempted Robbery/pursesnatch/victim fights off suspects with help of four identified males who came to her aid. Good work everyone!

Labels: crime, police blotter