Castro Crime Beat

April 7, 18th Street at Castro Street, Employee Theft
The owner of a store arrived at work in the morning and reviewed his security tape. He observed his employee who had closed the store the previous night giving away free merchandise and taking a large sum of money from the cash register. The owner called police, who referred the case to the investigations bureau.

April 16, 1:12 a.m., 2400 Block of Market Street, Battery on Muni Employee, Public Intoxication
A suspect attempted to gain entry to a Muni station as it was being closed. When the Muni employee informed the suspect he could not enter, the suspect became irate and began pushing and hitting the employee. A struggle ensued in which the victim managed to grab the suspect and hold him. When officers arrived, the victim told officers, “Thank God you guys got here quick.”
The suspect was arrested.

April 16, 2 a.m., 100 Block of Pierce Street, Attempted Robbery
A woman was walking home when the suspect (described as a male, 50–60 years old) grabbed and pushed her against a wall. “Give me some money!” he said. The victim heard someone call for him to stop from across the street. As the victim pulled away, the suspect ripped an earring from her ear, cutting her. She went inside her house. The suspect fled.

April, 10, Muni Bus – 16th Street and Mission Street, Grand Theft, Conspiracy
A 79-year-old female passenger boarded a Muni bus and walked into a standing-room only crowd. She stood in front of two suspects who were sitting down in front of her.
A 25-year-old female suspect reached into the victim’s purse and took her wallet. A witness told the bus driver, who called 911. The two suspects tried to exit the bus at 16th and Mission streets. The victim tried to get her wallet back by grabbing one of the suspect’s arms but he pulled his arm away and exited the bus.
Officers arrived and arrested the suspects for grand theft and conspiracy.

April 15, 1:30 a.m., Waller Street at Clayton Street, Robbery with Firearm
A victim was robbed at gunpoint of $6 and called police. The victim reported that the suspect was heading towards Haight Street.
Police in the area saw a suspect who matched the description with two other male suspects. An officer unaccompanied by a partner ordered all three subjects to lie down. Two of the suspects complied while the third fled. One of the two prone subjects threw a black sack into the street.
The officer radioed other squad cars to describe events before deciding to pursue the fleeing suspect since he most closely matched the description of the robbery suspect. The officer pursued the suspect into a liquor store where he was arrested. The suspect was wearing a bulletproof vest.
The other two suspects fled the scene before police could arrive. Police found a .44 magnum revolver with an eight-inch barrel in the black sack on the street. One of the other two suspects was traced to an address on Belvedere Street. When police searched him he was found with $6 in his pocket.
The third suspect remains at large.

April 15, 7 a.m. 500 Block of Divisadero Street, Drug Possession, Theft
Plainclothes officers had their attention drawn to two individuals loitering around an ATM machine. There had been several incidents in the area recently where large amounts of cash had been stolen out of ATMs. The officers kept an eye on the subjects and observed cash being retrieved, then exchanged, from the ATM. Officers detained the suspects and found narcotics as well.

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