Castro Crime Beat

June 21, 4:18 a.m., Domestic Fire, 300 Block of Clipper Street
Officers responded to a fire that broke out in the middle of the night. The fire occurred in the basement, where it injured one female victim who was sleeping in her bedroom. The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition with third degree burns over 80 percent of her body. Another victim was taken to the hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is still undetermined at this time.

June 4, 4:12 p.m., Dog Bite Attack, Arrest Made, Buena Vista Park
Police were called to Buena Vista Park regarding an unleashed pit bull attacking another dog and its owner. When officers arrived, they spoke to the victim, who stated that she was walking her dog when a pit bull ran up and grabbed her dog by the head with its mouth.

The victim said she used her hands to pry open the pit bull’s mouth, allowing her dog to escape. Afterwards, she noticed that she had suffered a bite mark on her hand and her dog also had a bite wound on its head.

According to the victim, the owner of the pit bull arrived after the attack and retrieved her dog, walking away without addressing the situation or helping with the injuries.

The victim was able to identify the pit bull owner to police, who located the owner and her dog in the park and then placed her under arrest. The pit bull was taken into custody by Animal Care & Control.

June 12, 8 p.m., Warrant Arrest, Duboce Park
Officers responded to a concerned citizen who called to report that three suspects were lighting a shopping cart on fire in Duboce Park. When police arrived, they noticed that the three suspects who had started the fire were trying to put it out. The officers detained the suspects and took them to the station for further investigation.

After running a records check on one of the suspects, it revealed that he was a wanted suspect from Marin County.

The suspect was arrested and booked at Park Station for the original crimes.

June 10, 10 a.m., Aggravated Assault on Police Officers and Stolen Vehicle, 400 Block of Webster Street
Police saw a vehicle parked on the sidewalk with a driver inside. The officers ran a license plate check and found that one of the plates had been lost or stolen.

While the officers were approaching the rear of the vehicle, the driver shifted into reverse, colliding into the police car. He then pulled forward before reversing his vehicle towards the officers again, hitting the police car a second time.

The suspect drove south on Webster Street, continuing on the sidewalk, where he sideswiped a tree. The suspect drove to Scott Street, where he left the vehicle to escape on foot. Numerous officers were called to the area as back up. While trying to flee, the suspect dropped a bag he had in his possession. The bag was recovered by a tracking police dog. Inside was the suspect’s I.D.
A warrant for the suspect’s arrest is pending.

June 14, 3:34 a.m., Burglary Arrest, 1000 Block of Hayes Street
Officers responded to an alarm call at Ida B. Wells School. Several blocks from the school, the officers stopped some suspects that were drinking. The officers noticed that one of the suspects was holding some type of framed artwork. The officers approached the man, but he threw the art and ran off. One officer gave chase, but lost him.

The other suspects were taken into custody at the Park Station. Upon interviewing the group, officers found out that the suspects had broken into the school. The suspect who ran from police earlier had wanted to “steal something,” so he removed the artwork from the wall and fled after the alarm was sounded. Once at the station, the two in custody revealed the identity of the man that escaped. They both said it was his idea to break into the school.

Shortly thereafter, a “friend” of the main suspect called to reveal his location. All three wrote statements and the suspect was charged with burglary and avoiding arrest.

Reports compiled from e-mails sent to the community by the Park and Mission police stations.

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