San Francisco Bay Area Sunday News Roundup

Submitted by Reset News Feed on Sun, 02/19/2012 - 11:26am

Two Men Allegedly Attack Livermore Police Officer

Two men allegedly attacked a Livermore officer and broke his leg when police attempted to break up a large, drunken gathering early Saturday morning.

Police had received multiple 911 calls about the rowdy even on the 900 block of Lambaren Avenue and responded to the scene shortly before 1:30 a.m., Police Officer Steve Goard said. Callers reported people screaming, bottles breaking and a possible fight.

Arriving on the scene, police found around 100 people in the area, including at least one male juvenile who was so drunk he was unable to walk.

When officers attempted to check on the male juvenile, however, a group of individuals became confrontational and a 17-year-old male urged others to challenge the police.

When officers attempted to handcuff the teen, he allegedly punched the officer in the face and torso multiple times. A 19-year-old male, later identified as Adrian Manzano, then allegedly jumped on the officer's back and choked the officer.

All three fell to the ground, and the two men continued to attack the officer until other officers were able to assist.

The attacked officer was taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released with a broken leg.

Manzano and the male juvenile, whose name was not released due to his age, were arrested on suspicion of battering a police officer with injury, resisting or deterring a police officer with force and willful resistance to a peace officer causing serious bodily injury.

Two Boys Stabbed at Eastridge Shopping Mall, Sustain Life Threatening Injuries

Two boys received potentially life-threatening injuries in a double stabbing at the Eastridge Shopping Mall in San Jose Saturday evening.

The mall was closed and evacuated after the attack, which was reported just before 7:30 p.m., according to Officer Jose Garcia.

Two victims, both male juveniles, were found inside the mall suffering from stab wounds and were taken to a hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries.

Three male suspects were seen fleeing the attack on foot. Police have detained three possible suspects at the mall.

The motive in the attack remains under investigation.

Bay Bridge Closure Slows Traffic on Golden Gate Bridge

Traffic slowed to a crawl on the Golden Gate Bridge Saturday evening due to the holiday weekend closure of the Bay Bridge, according to bridge officials.

The bridge saw heavy evening traffic Saturday and anticipates approximately a 50 percent increase in traffic levels this holiday weekend, spokeswoman Mary Currie said.

The Golden Gate Bridge was crossed by 39,799 southbound vehicles on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011, and 49,889 on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010, according to data from the Golden Gate Bridge District.

The Bay Bridge's westbound upper deck closed Friday night for work including the construction of a detour near the toll plaza, lane striping and the placement of a guide rail, according to Caltrans officials.

The detour will shift westbound traffic to the south of its existing path. It will make room for construction crews to demolish sections of the existing roadway to make way for a new inclined section for the new east span of the bridge.

The bridge's upper deck will be closed until 5 a.m. Tuesday, although weather could delay the deck's reopening.

Eastbound traffic, carried on the lower deck, and vehicle travel between Treasure Island and San Francisco are unaffected by the closure.

Man Killed When Motorcycle Collides With Big Rig on Crocker Road

A man was killed Friday evening when his motorcycle collided with a big rig on Crocker Road, according to Vacaville police.

The crash on Crocker near Aldridge Way was reported around 7:45 p.m., according to Sgt. Mark Donaldson.

The victim, identified as a 55-year-old Vacaville man, was found lying on the ground suffering from severe head trauma. He was taken to Kaiser Hospital in Vacaville and pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

The man's identity has not yet been released, pending notification of next of kin.

The driver of the big rig was not injured.

Crocker Road was closed between Vaca Valley Parkway and Aldridge Road for approximately four hours.

Copper Thefts on Rise in Fremont

Copper thefts from Fremont city streetlights are on the rise, and police are asking for the public's help in putting an end to the expensive crime.

According to the city, in the past seven months, copper wire theft repairs have cost the city approximately $460,000 and left many streetlights inoperable until they can be repaired.

Those repairs are costing the city more than expected, and Tuesday night the City Council highlighted the crime's impact as it discussed amending its streetlight maintenance contract with Republic ITS.

If the crimes continue unabated, the city could end up spending almost $800,000 for the current fiscal year for associated repairs.

Since 2010, as the value of copper has increased, streetlight wire theft has dramatically increased because vandals steal the copper wire and sell it as scrap metal.

According to the city, work and repairs associated with wire theft have cost about $180,000 so far this year and the city has pending theft-associated repairs estimated to cost about $280,000, prompting a contract amendment of $300,000.

City staff have projected that repairs related to wire theft for the final five months of the current fiscal year will cost $328,000. If the thefts are not deterred, the city may need to amend the contract by an additional $350,000.

Fremont is not alone, however. Several Bay Area municipalities, schools and transit agencies -- including BART -- have been targeted by wire vandals. BART reports that it made an insurance claim of $500,000 after thieves stole a giant spool of cable from a contractor's yard in December 2010.

Fremont police suspect that the thieves have been stealing the copper wire at night, sometimes working two consecutive nights to remove the material -- first cutting the power and then returning to collect the wire.

A non-functioning streetlight may be a clue for law enforcement, and police are asking community members to be vigilant and report suspicious activity, particularly because the vandals may appear to resemble repair crews in uniform with utility trucks.

Authorized repair workers should be traveling in a vehicle bearing the City of Fremont logo or Republic ITS logo.

Man Struck By Car, Killed in Campbell

A man was killed when he was struck by a car in Campbell early Saturday morning, police said.

At about 2:30 a.m., officers responded to a report of a person lying in the road on Winchester Boulevard near Chapman Drive. Officers located a man in the far right lane of southbound Winchester Boulevard south of that intersection.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not yet released his identity.

Police located a vehicle involved in the collision and are interviewing the vehicle's owner. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, police said.

Former San Jose Police Officer Reinstated After Helping to Catch Suspected Bank Robbers

A former San Jose police officer who faced layoffs this summer was reinstated to full duty this week after he helped nab three men in connection with two armed bank robberies in San Jose.

Officer Michael Nasser had voluntarily left the force to join another law enforcement agency in anticipation of being laid off. But Tuesday at about 1:30 p.m., Nasser spotted the three masked men dashing into a Wells Fargo branch on Santa Teresa Boulevard.

The suspects robbed roughly $7,000 from the bank, located at 6990 Santa Teresa Blvd., before fleeing on foot, police said.

Nasser saw the men fleeing and ran a check on their license plate number. It turned out that the vehicle was registered to a residence on Homestead Avenue in Salinas, police said.

Detectives responded to the bank and alerted the Salinas Police Department.

Shortly thereafter, Salinas officers found the suspect vehicle at the Homestead Avenue address and conducted a high-risk car stop.

Officers apprehended the suspects and alerted San Jose detectives who responded and took all three suspects into custody. Inside their vehicle, detectives allegedly found evidence implicating the suspects in the robbery, police said.

The Police Department announced this week that Nasser was reinstated to full duty Thursday.

All three suspects -- Bryan Chavez, 20, of Marina, Jonathan Nathaniel Garcia, 23, and Jose Luis Lemus, 20, both of Salinas -- were booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of armed robbery.

The first robbery occurred at about 2 p.m. on Monday at the Union Bank located at 1700 The Alameda.

Police said two masked men entered the bank, took several hundred dollars in cash at gunpoint and then jumped into a waiting vehicle driven by a third suspect.

No one was injured in the course of the robberies, police said.

Detectives are investigating whether the suspects were involved in additional robberies.

Near Quarter Million Lottery Ticket Purchased in San Francisco

A winning California Lottery ticket worth almost a quarter of a million dollars was sold at a San Francisco liquor store Friday, state lottery officials said.

The ticket worth $237,264 was sold at Civic Center Market, a liquor store on the corner of Ninth and Market streets in the city's Mid-Market neighborhood. It matched all five numbers -- 38, 33, 2, 32 and 35.

Fantasy 5 winning numbers are drawn daily, with top prizes starting at $50,000 and increasing until a win is drawn.

Winners have 180 days from the date of the draw to claim prizes and are encouraged to sign the back of their tickets and keep them in a safe place.

Winners should contact lottery officials or visit their local lotter district office as soon as possible.

Petaluma Police Arrest Woman on Suspected Fourth DUI

Petaluma police arrested a woman Friday on suspicion of committing her fourth DUI.

Petaluma police Officer Ron Klein saw a gold 2001 Honda Accord abruptly change lanes and almost collide with a Chevrolet pickup truck at Washington and Keller streets around 12:15 p.m., Sgt. Kevin Savano said.

Klein stopped the Honda driver, 28-year-old Fallon Elaine Wilson, of Petaluma, and recognized her as a repeat DUI offender, Savano said.

Wilson is on active DUI probation and her driver's license is suspended, Savano said. Her blood-alcohol level when she was stopped was 0.12 percent and she was arrested for felony DUI, Savano said.

Klein said he found a small amount of wine in a water bottle in Wilson's car, Savano said.

She was booked into the Sonoma County jail under $45,000 bail for felony DUI, violation of probation and driving on a suspended license. Police impounded her Honda for 30 days, Savano said.

Wilson's previous DUI arrests were in May 2006, April 2007 and October 2009, Savano said. Petaluma traffic officers were monitoring her to make sure she was complying with her probation terms, Savano said.

Wilson complied with those terms during checks in November 2009, November 2010 and August 2011, Savano said.

Suspected Burglar Arrested in Redwood City

A suspected burglar was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Redwood City, police said.

Around 4:45 p.m. detectives from the Redwood City police Street Crime Suppression Team arrested 36-year-old Redwood City resident Jason Cerrutti at his residence in the 400 block of Stambaugh Street, police said.

During a search of his home, vehicle and storage locker, detectives found property believed to be stolen from a home burglary in Redwood City in January and property apparently from two commercial burglaries in Santa Clara County in February and January.

Cerrutti is a parolee and as a condition of his parole authorities periodically search his property.

Cerrutti was booked into San Mateo County Jail on charges of residential burglary, possession of stolen property and violation of his parole, according to police.

The Street Crime Suppression Team is comprised of Redwood City police and San Mateo County Sheriff's detectives.

Napa Special Investigations Bureau Agents Arrest Suspected Drug Dealer in Calistoga

Napa Special Investigations Bureau agents arrested a suspected drug dealer and seized drugs, guns and other illegal items from his car and home in Calistoga Thursday evening, according to the bureau.

Javier Salvador Perez, 23, of Calistoga, was arrested after he was pulled over on state Highway 29 just south of Calistoga around 6 p.m. Thursday. A loaded handgun and methamphetamine were allegedly found hidden in the car, according to bureau officials.

About 45 minutes later agents served a search warrant at his apartment in the 1400 block of Anna Street in Calistoga where agents said they discovered cocaine, marijuana, a digital scale, more than $2,500 in cash, two shotguns and three rifles, according to officials.

The guns, drugs and cash were seized, the NSIB said.

Perez was booked at Napa County Jail on three drug charges, officials said.

San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department Introduces Free Golden Gate Park Shuttle

With spring around the corner, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department has introduced a free shuttle ride for the public to use at the city's Golden Gate Park on weekends and holidays, park officials announced Friday.

To promote public transit throughout the city, park officials hope the free shuttle will encourage visitors to ditch the car this spring when heading to Golden Gate Park.

The shuttle will be free to all residents and visitors with stops at Golden Gate Park destinations, including McLaren Lodge, the National AIDS Memorial Grove, the Koret Children's Quarter Playground, the Conservatory of Flowers, the de Young Museum, the California Academy of Sciences, Stow Lake, the bison paddock and the park's two windmills and paths to Ocean Beach on its western edge.

The shuttles will run between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. every 15 to 20 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays and on city holidays.