San Francisco Bay Area Monday News Roundup

Submitted by Reset News Feed on Mon, 02/20/2012 - 10:13am

Bay Bridge's Westbound Upper Deck Reopened On Sunday

The Bay Bridge's westbound upper deck reopened Sunday evening, more than 24 hours ahead of schedule following a planned holiday weekend closure for demolition and construction work.

Motorists passing through the toll plaza are asked to drive carefully, since the merge will be different. While 20 lanes will still merge down to 5, they will curve slightly to the south, Ney said.

The bridge was not scheduled to reopen until Tuesday at 5 a.m., but Ney said unexpectedly good weather had allowed work to progress quickly.

"The next time we plan to close the Bay Bridge will be to open the new Bay Bridge, Labor Day weekend 2013," Ney said.

The bridge's upper deck was closed at 8 p.m. Friday to accommodate demolition and maintenance projects related to the construction of a new eastern span. Crews demolished sections of roadway to make way for an inclined section that will eventually carry eastbound traffic.

The closure pushed a surge of southbound traffic on to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Unofficial numbers show that more than 67,600 vehicles drove south over the bridge on Saturday, up from 39,799 vehicles on the Saturday of Presidents Day in 2011, Golden Gate Transportation District spokeswoman Mary Currie said.

Rio Vista Municipal Airport Midair Collision Reports No Injuries

No injuries were reported in a midair collision near Rio Vista Municipal Airport Sunday evening that caused a helicopter to crash, according to Federal Aviation Administration officials.

A Beechcraft Bonanza airplane collided with a Robinson R22 helicopter near the Solano County airport Sunday evening, causing the helicopter to crash 8 miles south of the airport, according to Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman.

The airplane was able to land short of the Byron Airport in Contra Costa County and reported no injuries. The helicopter's pilot also reportedly refused medical treatment, Gregor said.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate this accident.

The NTSB typically posts a preliminary report within a week or two of the accident, but can often take months to determine a probable cause, Gregor said.

Man Shot During Pleasdant Hill Elementary School Robbery

A man was shot during a robbery behind an elementary school in Pleasant Hill on Saturday night when he struggled with the attackers, police said.

Lt. Jose Delatorre said the 20-year-old man was walking with three juvenile males in a field behind Strandwood Elementary School at 416 Gladys Drive at 7:21 p.m. when they were approached by three men.

Delatorre said he could not disclose the ages of the other three victims, but that they were under 18-years-old.

The three robbers, who are approximately 20- to 25-years-old, robbed the four victims at gunpoint. Two of the three men were carrying guns, Delatorre said.

The man resisted the suspects and was shot once in the upper torso in a struggle, Delatorre said.

The suspects fled back toward the school on foot, and when police arrived they made an extensive check of the area around the school and the surrounding yards.

Pleasant Hill police received assistance from the Martinez Police Department and the Contra Costa County air unit, but did not locate the suspects.

The shooting victim was transported to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek in critical condition.

Antioch Police Officer And Police Dog Run Over By Car

An Antioch police officer and police dog were run over by a car while struggling with a suspect during a pursuit early Saturday morning.

The pursuit began shortly after 12:30 a.m. when police Officer Matt Harger spotted a vehicle that had been reported stolen on the 2300 block of Sycamore Drive, according to Sgt. Scott Freier.

When Harger attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver and passenger jumped out and fled on foot.

Harger and Police K-9 Thor pursued and Thor brought the driver down.

However, the driver had apparently failed to put the car into park when he stopped, and the vehicle rolled forward over Harger and then Thor.

Harger was able to pull Thor out from under the vehicle, but then the car's rear wheels rolled forward over the driver.

Harger suffered minor scrapes, and Thor appears to be fine at this time, Freier said. The driver, identified as 18-year-old Douglas Martinez of Antioch, was taken into custody on charges including vehicle theft, felony assault on an officer and felony assault on a police K-9, and taken to a hospital for treatment.

A search was conducted for the vehicle passenger with the help of Brentwood police and their police dog, but he was not located.

Two Killed In East Oakland

Two people were killed in separate shootings in East Oakland early Sunday morning, an Oakland police officer said.

The first was reported at 12:11 a.m. in the 9700 block of C Street, police said.

The victim in that shooting was pronounced dead at the scene 15 minutes later. Police are searching for a named suspect in that shooting.

The second was reported at 1:09 a.m. in the 2100 block of Seminary Avenue.

A man was found suffering from a gunshot wound there, and was also pronounced dead at the scene about 15 minutes later.

No suspect information was available.

The two shootings are the latest in a string of East Oakland shootings this weekend, but the first two that left a victim dead since Thursday.

Occupy Oakland Anti-Police March Held Conference At UC Berkeley

The weekly Occupy Oakland anti-police march headed to Berkeley Saturday night to meet with other Occupy demonstrators holding a conference at the University of California at Berkeley campus this weekend.

Around 100 protesters gathered in Oakland's Frank Ogawa Plaza at around 9 p.m. and headed to Berkeley via Telegraph Avenue, according to protesters streaming video of the march over the Internet.

There was minimal police presence around the march, and protesters blocked traffic freely on their way to Berkeley. No incidents of violence or vandalism were reported, despite a few arguments with bystanders along the way up Telegraph Avenue.

Once arriving in Berkeley, protesters stopped briefly by the university's Sproul Hall to confront UC police there.

Protesters then moved on to the site of the conference, UC Berkeley's International House at 2299 Piedmont Ave.

The "Occupy the Truth" conference began Friday with a panel discussion between Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern and retired U.S. Army Col. Anne Wright.

The conference is intended to give Occupy activists from Berkeley and Oakland a space to brainstorm ideas and reflect on strategy, organizers said.

When Occupy Oakland protesters arrived, several tents had been set up in the lawn in front of International House, and the march from Oakland merged with a small crowd already gathered in front of the International House.

Several university police stood inside of the building's doorway, but did not confront the crowd on the front steps.

An anti-police march has been held weekly in Oakland since Jan. 8, when protesters organized the recurring event in response to what they call continued harassment and brutality by the Oakland police.

Santa Cruz Police Arrested Man Suspected Of Selling Heroin

Police in Santa Cruz arrested a man suspected of selling heroin after attempting to give him a probation drug test on Saturday, police said.

Police approached Jose Godoy, 25, in a business in the 200 block of Sylvania Avenue for the drug test at 3:40 p.m.

Godoy ran from the officers, police said, and tried to toss around 10 grams of suspected heroin on the roof of a nearby business.

However, the suspected heroin hit a wall and bounced back toward Godoy, police said.

Police arrested Godoy in the 100 block of Harvey West Boulevard, and police said Godoy resisted arrest in the process.

Godoy was arrested on suspicion of possessing heroin for sale, destruction of evidence, probation violation, resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia and committing a felony while released on bail.

He had previously been arrested by the California Highway Patrol on Jan. 4 for other drug and theft-related felonies, police said.

Godoy was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and booked into Santa Cruz County Jail.

Berkeley Police Arrest Homocide Suspect

Police in Berkeley have arrested a suspect in a homicide that took place in the city on Saturday night.

Officers responded to a home near Shasta Road and Grizzly Peak Boulevard after a woman called to report a suspicious person trespassing near her garage, according to Berkeley police.

The woman's husband reportedly went outside to confront the suspect when he was assaulted, police said.

The man was treated at the scene by the first police officer before being taken to a local trauma center by Berkeley Fire Department paramedics, police said.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Police were not discussing details of the attack and did not releasing the victim's name on Sunday.

While officers were conducting an investigation in the neighborhood where the alleged assault occurred, a man was seen in the area who matched the suspect description.

Daniel Jordan Dewitt, 23, of Alameda, was detained and subsequently arrested for murder, police said.

Dewitt is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

The killing marks Berkeley's second homicide of 2012.

Man Fatally Struck By Oakley Vehicle

A 53-year-old man was fatally struck by a vehicle in Oakley on Friday evening, a police spokesman said.

Oakley resident Daniel Broussard was struck by a minivan near the intersection of Main Street and Norcross Lane at about 6:20 p.m., Oakley police Sgt. Jeff Solomon said.

Broussard was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the minivan was not injured and stopped at the scene, Solomon said.

It was not immediately clear if Broussard was in a crosswalk when he was hit, Solomon said.

The crash remains under investigation.

Salinas Animal Shelters Overrun With Rabbits

Salinas animal shelters are overrun with rabbits, and looking for adoptive and foster homes for dozens of bunnies.

More than 80 rabbits have come into local shelters in the past month, including 10 that were dropped off at Salinas Animal Services just this past Tuesday, officials said. The numbers have overwhelmed local animal rescue groups and shelters, which are already overloaded.

Both Salinas Animal Services and Animal Friends Rescue Project are searching for adoptive and foster homes for the rabbits, and also for donations to help deal with all the extra animals.

Rabbits are excellent indoor pets, with lots of personality, officials say. They can learn tricks, and even use a litter box.

For information on adoption, please go to www.salinasanimals.com, or to the SFRP's Rescue Rabbits Rock program, www.rescuerabbitsrock.com. You can also temporarily foster a rabbit by calling Lisa at (831) 883-1734.

Supplies, including large dog crates, wire exercise pens and rabbit pellets, can be donated to Salinas Animal Service at 144 Hitchcock Road.