Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Man Stabbed To Death In Western Addition

Woman sought in fatal stabbing of S.F. man

Demian Bulwa, Chronicle Staff Writer

Thursday, January 1, 2009

(12-31) 16:26 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco police are searching for a woman who they say fatally stabbed an 18-year-old man during a domestic incident in a violence-scarred public housing development in the Western Addition.
Homicide Maps

The killing of Lazarus "Buddy" Pickett on Tuesday marked San Francisco's 99th homicide of 2008, one more than last year and the most since 1995, when there were 100 killings. This year's count includes one case - the discovery of a body at Ocean Beach - that is being investigated by the U.S. Park Service police rather than San Francisco police.

Authorities did not identify the suspect in the latest homicide or provide details in what they described as a case of domestic violence. But several neighbors in the Plaza East housing complex said authorities were looking for 27-year-old DeEbony Smith, with whom Pickett had a baby daughter.

The neighbors said Smith lives in an apartment in Plaza East with her mother and three children. They said the fathers of the other two children had also died in recent years, one in a shooting and the other in a car wreck.

According to police, the stabbing was reported at 10 a.m. Tuesday on Larch Way, a one-block corridor that doubles as a parking lot for Plaza East residents. Pickett was taken by ambulance to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:18 p.m.

On Wednesday, a small memorial of balloons, stuffed animals, red roses, candles and liquor bottles lay where Pickett had fallen in the street. In the early afternoon, a woman who identified herself as the young man's aunt cried outside a nearby unit and said she wasn't ready to talk about what happened.

Outreach workers from the city-funded Community Response Network - which tries to quell violence and retaliation - spoke to residents. Police cars drove by often.

Plaza East has frequently been the scene of violent incidents in recent years, prompting city officials to install surveillance cameras there and to obtain a court injunction against a gang that allegedly operates out of the complex. The injunction limits the movements of some gang-member suspects.

Neighborhood resident Rochelle Terrell, 50, clutched a picture of her cousin, Savannah Jackson, who died Dec. 30, 2006 - two years before Pickett. Jackson was one of three people shot and killed as they sat in a parked car in Bayview-Hunters Point.

"It seems like every year we have to bring in the year with grief and loss," Terrell said. "It's too much."

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Monday, December 29, 2008

Two Stabbed In the Richmond

SF: UPDATE: TWO STABBED AFTER ARGUMENT ON MUNI BUS

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

Two 19-year-old college students were stabbed after an argument on a San Francisco Municipal Railway bus this afternoon, police said.

According to police spokeswoman Sgt. Lyn Tomioka, officers found the two male victims at Sixth Avenue and Geary Boulevard in the city's Richmond District shortly after 1 p.m.

Tomioka said the two men got into a verbal altercation with unidentified suspects, who then stabbed them both.

The men were taken to San Francisco General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Tomioka said.

Muni spokeswoman Kristen Holland said the stabbing reportedly occurred on the street, after the argument on the bus.

No arrests have been made and no suspect information was immediately available.

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Saturday, December 27, 2008

Man Stabbed In The Mission

Man Stabbed In SF Mission District

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ―

A man was stabbed in the leg in San Francisco's Mission District early Saturday morning, according to the Police Department.

Officers responded to 24th and Harrison streets around 2 a.m. where the man was found suffering from the stab wound, police said.

He was transported to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment, according to police.

No suspect information was available.

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Friday, December 26, 2008

Man Critically Injured In Visitacion Valley Shooting

SF Police Arrest Teen In Suspected Gang Shooting

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ―

San Francisco police arrested a 17-year-old boy Thursday evening for shooting a man in an apparent gang-related incident.

The shooting took place at about 5 p.m. in the 200 block of Hahn Street near the intersection with Sunnydale Avenue, an area close to the city's southern border known for gang activity, according to police.

The name of the boy, who is believed by police to be a member of one of the local street gangs in the area, was not released because he is a juvenile.

Police spokesman Sgt. Wilfred Williams would only say the shooting "appears to be gang-related." A motive was not known, he said.

The shooting left a 46-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds.

He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with injuries that were considered life threatening.

The boy was arrested about two hours later, Williams said.

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Thursday, December 25, 2008

Man Seriously Injured In Christmas Morning Assault In The Mission

SF: MAN ASSAULTED IN MISSION DISTRICT, SUFFERS LIFE THREATENING INJURIES

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

San Francisco police are investigating an assault in the city's Mission District this morning that left a man with life threatening injuries at a local hospital.

The assault began at about 4 a.m. near the intersection of Mission and 25th streets, according to police.

The victim apparently said something to five teenage suspects, who then followed the man to the intersection of Mission and 20th streets before throwing him to the ground and attacking him, police said.

The victim is at a local hospital with life threatening injuries, according to police, who said no arrests have been made and no suspect information was immediately available.

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Monday, December 15, 2008

Two Shot In The Mission

SF: TWO INJURED IN MISSION DISTRICT SHOOTING

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

Two men were injured in a shooting in San Francisco's Mission District early this morning, police said.

Both men are in stable condition after being involved in the shooting that was reported at about 1:50 a.m. at Mariposa and Florida streets, according to police.

The victims were transported to San Francisco General Hospital suffering gunshot wounds to lower leg and thigh, police said.

No suspects were arrested and the incident remains under investigation.

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Friday, December 12, 2008

More News:

- Tari Ramirez was given 16 years to life in prison for the October 20th, 2000 murder of his girlfriend, Claire Joyce Tempongko, 28, in her Richmond District apartment. Ramirez stabbed Tempongko 21 times as her 10-year-old son watched.

- 56-year-old SF resident Reginald Sydney Jones, who was arrested for robbing a bank in SF on November 12th, admitted to robbing a bank in Fairfield on October 22nd as well.

- Adam Jackson, the man who set up a webcam and website called adamsblock.com that showed live Tenderloin street scenes 24/7, took the cams down yesterday after recieving too many death threats. The threats included three men shouting "we're going to shoot you" from the corner, men following Jackson and his girlfriend, and threatening phone calls to Jackson and his work, including threats to kill him and his girlfriend.

Raid Nets 5 Crack Dealers - Police Warn About City College Sexual Assaults - Arrest Made In 1991 Rape And Murder

- A joint operation between the FBI, SFPD and US Marshalls ended in the arrest of 5 people in housing projects in Bernal Heights, the Western Addition, and Hayes Valley. The suspects, 4 men and one pregnant woman, were arrested "on charges of selling or conspiring to sell crack cocaine." 4 of the 5 were also getting enhancements for selling crack within 1,000 feet of a public housing project.

- The SFPD released a sketch of a suspect in two sexual assaults at the City College Ocean Campus last week. Both assaults happened on the pedestrian bridge over Ocean avenue, that connects the Ocean Campus with Geneva avenue. A third assault occurred on campus on Monday, near Bungalow 700, but that incident involved a different suspect.

- DNA evidence has linked 56-year-old Otis Hughes to the 1991 rape and murder of then 39-year-old Karen Wong, in her Richmond District Apartment. Hughes, who was on probation after serving 17 years in prison for burglary, was arrested on Tuesday at his home in Richmond.

- Also, Felicisimo Belleza, 41, an employee of a Department of Veterans Affairs nursing home in San Francisco, has been sentenced to 3 years of probation after threatening to buy a machine gun and kill every one there.

Man Shot In Hunters Point

SF: POLICE INVESTIGATING SHOOTING THAT INJURED MAN IN BAYVIEW DISTRICT

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

San Francisco police are investigating a shooting Thursday night in the Bayview District that hospitalized a man with injuries that are not believed to be life threatening.

The shooting was reported at about 10:20 p.m. in the unit block of Cashmere Street, according to police.

No arrests have been made, and no suspect information was available as of 12:15 a.m. today.

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Thursday, December 11, 2008

Jaywalking Man Punched By Angry Driver

Punch leaves pedestrian clinging to life

By Tamara Barak Aparton
Examiner Staff Writer 12/11/08

SAN FRANCISCO – A 53-year-old pedestrian was fighting for his life Thursday after an altercation with a motorist near Golden Gate Park the previous evening.

Police say the man was crossing Hayes and Stanyan streets against a red light just after 5 p.m. when a motorist honked at him.

In response, the pedestrian slammed his backpack on the hood of the vehicle. The driver got out of the car and punched the pedestrian, who fell to the ground and hit his head.

He remains hospitalized with a serious head injury. No arrests have been made in the case.

On March 20, 2007, a pedestrian punching a vehicle led to a homicide when enraged driver Hamilton Diaz allegedly ran down 24-year-old Randal Gross after either Gross or his companion punched the parolee’s car in the intersection of 15th and Valencia streets.

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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Two Arrested After Home Invasion Robbery and Kidnapping

SF: TWO SUSPECTS ARRESTED, TWO REMAIN OUTSTANDING AFTER HOME INVASION ROBBERY

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

San Francisco police arrested two men and are still looking for two suspects after a home invasion robbery and kidnapping at a Potrero Hill home Tuesday afternoon.

The incident happened at about 3 p.m. when four suspects entered a home in the 700 block of Missouri Street, according to police.

The suspects drove to a bank with the victim, who happened to see a police officer and alerted him of the robbery in progress, police said.

The suspects fled, and although two men were taken into custody, two remain outstanding this morning, according to police.

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Monday, December 8, 2008

SFPD Arrests Second Suspect in Mission District Murder

S.F. police make second arrest in slaying outside pot club

Chronicle Staff Report

Monday, December 8, 2008

(12-08) 16:17 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco police have arrested a second suspect in connection with the slaying of a man in September outside a Mission District medical marijuana dispensary, authorities said today.

Julius Hughes, 24, was arrested Friday at his home in Brentwood, police said. He is accused in the slaying of Roshawn Holden, 23, who was shot to death the night of Sept. 14 as he left the Mr. Nice Guy cannabis club at Duboce Avenue and Valencia Street.

Court records show that Hughes has a history of drug- and weapons-related offenses.

On Sept. 23, police arrested Ijeoma Ogbuagu, 30, in connection with the slaying.

Police said Holden and a friend had just left the marijuana club when they were approached and ordered out of their car at gunpoint. After Holden was robbed, he ran away and was shot as he fled.


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7 Juveniles, 2 Adults Arrested In Weekend Robberies

SF: POLICE ARREST NINE FOR FIVE WEEKEND ROBBERIES

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

San Francisco police arrested nine people, most of them juveniles, for five separate robberies over the weekend, police said today.

One of three men suspected of beating and robbing a 32-year-old city resident early Saturday morning in the South of Market district, 21-year-old Cristino Castillo, of San Francisco, was arrested by a motorcycle officer who witnessed the incident, according to police.

The two other suspects escaped on foot, police said.

Shortly before midnight Saturday, four San Francisco boys ages 15 to 17 were arrested on a Muni bus in an Outer Mission neighborhood after allegedly attacking and robbing a 25-year-old city resident who was waiting for the bus, according to police.

At about 1:15 a.m. Sunday, a 16-year-old boy was taken into custody in the Outer Mission after allegedly punching a 15-year-old and taking his cell phone outside the Balboa Bay Area Rapid Transit station, police said.

The noontime robbery at gunpoint of a 21-year-old city resident the same day in the Bernal Heights neighborhood resulted in the arrests of 14-year-old and 16-year-old boys, while another Bernal Heights armed robbery of two men nearly two hours later on the sidewalk concluded with the arrest of 19-year-old Josue Dominguez, of San Francisco, according to police.

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Some more news updates:

- Police are looking for a white SUV that struck and killed a 56-year-old man in a hit and run near Lake Merced on Friday. The victim was identified as Gerardo Yambao, of San Francisco.

- A "person of interest," 20-year-old Matthew Owyang, is sought in connection to the March 29th slayings of Derek Butch, 23, and Jason De La Cruz, 31, in the Sunset District. De La Cruz and Butch were shot to death outside a pizza parlor on 19th Avenue and Irving street, after they got into an argument with a man who wanted free pizza from them.

- The SFPD says there was no foul play in the elevator shaft plunge that killed 38-year-old Oakland resident Daniel Kliman in a downtown highrise last week. The elevator was apparently not functioning properly, and Kliman stepped into an empty elevator shaft, falling seven stories to his death. (UPDATE: apparently there may still be an ongoing investigation into this)

- A parking garage security guard at San Francisco International Airport was arrested for breaking into cars.

- An SF man was sentenced to 46 months in prison for stealing $548,000 from his parents in Kansas.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

News from the past month or so:

Sorry about the lack of updates lately. Here you go:

Murders:

- Brandon Evans, 20, was shot in the back and killed near the conservatory of flowers, in Golden Gate Park, on November 29th. Evans was from San Diego and had just moved to SF three weeks earlier.

- Richard Berrett, 29, was shot to death while apparently running from an assailant in North Beach. He was shot in the back and killed in the doorway of a bar at Broadway and Kearney Streets at 1:00 a.m. on November 25th.

- Victor Cipriano-Lopez, 22, was shot to death at 22nd and Valencia Streets, in the Mission, at around 10:30 p.m. on November 23rd.

- Two people were found shot dead in a house in Potrero Hill. They were identified as Vicky Velarde, 30, and her boyfriend, David Boyce, 35. Police do not yet known who pulled the trigger, but they seem to be leaning towards murder-suicide with Velarde as the victim.

- John Rogers, 30 year-old Marine veteran, was shot to death, and another man injured when 24 year-old Max Reyes of San Francisco broke into Rogers' apartment on the unit block of Fair Avenue and attempted to rob them. Reyes was later arrested, and is being held on $1 million bail.

- Daniel Gomez, 33, was shot to death near the Sunnydale housing projects in Visitacion Valley, at Sunnydale Ave. and Sawyer streets. The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. on October 26th.

- Angelo Zuniga, 17, was stabbed to death during a fight at a party on the 400 block of Holloway Avenue, in Ingleside. 19-year-old Martin Martinez was arrested for the murder shortly after. The stabbing occurred at 11:50 p.m. on October 24th.

- Cynthia Sareen Weaver, 46, died after falling from her bathroom window while trying to escape her abusive boyfriend, around 11:00 p.m. on October 3rd. The boyfriend, who had a restraining order against him, came to Weaver's house near Folsom and 24th streets, got drunk, and started to beat her. She locked herself in the bathroom, and while he tried to break the door down, she tried to climb out the window, and down a pipe, but she slipped and fell. She died later at the hospital.


More Violent Stuff:

- A woman was caught in the crossfire in a shoot-out in the Sunnydale Projects. Two other people sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

- Shooting injures one in the Lower Haight.

- Taxi driver injured in brick attack downtown.

- USC student stabbed and nearly killed in fight at Marina District bar.

- 20 people arrested for 8 robberies on Halloween and over the following weekend

- A UCSF lab worker was charged with attempted murder after he poisoned the drink of a colleague with lab chemicals.

- One suspect in the murder of 14 year-old Ivan Miranda was arrested last year for another assault, and was apparently kept from being deported by the city of SF. The suspect, 17 year-old Rony Aguilera, was part of a gang-related attack in the Excelsior District, in which Miranda was stabbed and nearly decapitated with a samurai sword.



Not so violent Stuff:


- 100 arrested in Bay Area prostitution sting.

- A car chase that started in Santa Cruz ended in SF, in front of the federal building at 7th and Mission. The suspect had multiple samurai swords in his car.

- A body washed ashore at Ocean Beach.

- 39 arrested in a sweep targeting high-risk parolees and probation offenders.