Person Of Interest In Case Involving Dismembered Body Died On Saturday

San Francisco police on Sunday confirmed that a person of interest in a murder case involving a dismembered body found inside a suitcase in the city’s South of Market neighborhood died on Saturday.

Mark Andrus, 59, died at a hospital in San Francisco, but police declined to say how Andrus died or why he was seeking medical care.

Police have also declined to say where Andrus died, but a spokeswoman for San Francisco General Hospital said he was not a patient there.

Public Defender Jeff Adachi, whose office had planned to represent Andrus, said he was sorry to learn that Andrus had died.

“During the short time I represented Mark, I found him to be a kind and engaging person,” Adachi said in a statement.

Police arrested Andrus on Jan. 31 in connection with a case in which body parts were found in a suitcase at 11th and Mission streets on Jan. 28, San Francisco police Officer Grace Gatpandan said.

Additional remains were found in a trashcan half a block away from the original scene. Police said some of the body parts were missing, but declined to say which ones.

Police had identified Andrus after receiving an anonymous tip on Jan. 30 reporting that a person of interest seen in photos released to the public earlier that day could be found in the 400 block of Turk Street, Gatpandan said.

San Francisco prosecutors declined to file charges pending further investigation and released him several days later.

The medical examiner’s office is working with the DNA lab at the state Department of Justice to try to identify the dismembered body.

Police Release Sketch Of Man Suspected Of Assaulting 10-Year-Old Boy

The Oakland Police Department on Sunday released a sketch of a man suspected of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old boy last month.

On Jan. 27, a 10-year-old boy was walking in the 1100 block of 98th Avenue around 3 p.m. when a stranger approached him, police said.

The stranger lured the boy to a nearby area and sexually assaulted him, according to police.

The boy was able to get away and tell his parents. Police said the victim described his assailant as a Hispanic man, roughly 40 to 50 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall with a slender build, tan complexion, short salt and pepper hair and salt and pepper facial hair.

Police said he was last seen wearing a brown leather jacket and dark pants. He’s described as having an unkempt appearance and possibly loiters in the area, police said.

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A 20-year-old man was shot and killed in King City late Saturday night, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office announced on Sunday.

Deputies responded to reports of a shooting at a trailer park in the 100 block of River Drive around 11:10 p.m., sheriff’s officials said.

Deputies arrived and were led by people on the street to a man lying next to a car and was struck multiple times by gunfire, according to sheriff’s officials.

Medical personnel pronounced the man, later identified as King City resident Antonio Mendez, dead at the scene, sheriff’s officials said.

No arrests were made and no suspect information was immediately available.

Man Shot, Killed Was Found Next To Car At Trailer Park Saturday

A 21-year-old man was killed in a shooting Saturday night that investigators believe was gang-related, police said on Sunday.

Officers responded to a report of a shooting victim in the 1000 block of North Sanbord Road around 8:10 p.m., police said.

The man, later identified as Eric Jacobo, was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to police.

Officers performed CPR on Jacobo but he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

No suspect information was available Sunday morning.

Overturned Tanker, Fuel Spill Blocks Hwy 1 North Of Jenner

An overturned tanker that spilled fuel closed state Highway 1 north of Jenner, a community in Sonoma County, nearly all day on Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officers responded to a report of the overturned tanker in the area of the 14000 block of state Highway 1 shortly before 8:30 a.m., CHP officials said.

No injuries were reported.

Information on how much fuel spilled on the roadway was not immediately available.

Multiple hazardous materials crews have responded to the scene to clean up the fuel, according to the CHP.

A Sig-alert was issued at 11:43 a.m. closing Highway 1 in both directions. The southbound lane reopened at 10:13 p.m. and CHP lifted the motorist alert at 3:32 a.m. today.

Man Killed In Shooting South Of Lake Merritt Early This Morning

A man was killed in a shooting in Oakland early Sunday morning, police said.

Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert activation in the 200 block of East 12th Street south of Lake Merritt around 3:20 a.m., police said.

Arriving officers found a man suffering from at least one gunshot wound and rendered aid but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

No arrests were made and no suspect information was immediately available.

50-Year-Old Man Killed In 2-Car Crash On Hwy 17

A 50-year-old man was killed in a two-car crash on state Highway 17 in Los Gatos late Saturday night, according to the California Highway Patrol.

He was identified on Sunday as San Jose resident Robert Bassett, according to the Santa Clara County medical examiner’s office.

Officers responded to a report of a crash on southbound Highway 17 south of Lark Avenue around 11:45 p.m., CHP officials said.

Officers arrived and found all lanes were blocked by a black 1996 BMW sedan and gray 2004 Lexus SUV, according to the CHP.

The driver of the sedan, later identified as Bassett, was found without his seatbelt on and not breathing, CHP officials said.

Officers and bystanders tried to resuscitate him before emergency crews arrived and took over, but Bassett was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later, according to the CHP.

A preliminary investigation indicates that the BMW was damaged in an earlier collision, became disabled and stopped on the freeway, CHP officials said.

A 78-year-old Los Gatos man was driving the SUV south at an undetermined speed and crashed into the left rear of the sedan, according to the CHP.

Investigators have not determined how fast The impact of the crash caused the sedan to rotate and came to rest facing north on southbound lanes, CHP officials said.

The SUV slightly rotated and came to rest facing southeast, according to the CHP.

The SUV driver was transported to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose for moderate injuries, CHP officials said.

Investigators have not determined if alcohol was a factor in the accident, CHP officials said.

One Injured, 14 Displaced In Two-Alarm Triplex Fire

A two-alarm fire at a triplex near Oakland’s San Antonio Park that displaced 14 adults early Sunday morning has been deemed suspicious, a fire battalion chief said.

Firefighters responded to a report of a structure fire in the 1600 block of East 20th Street near 16th Avenue around 4:45 a.m., Oakland fire Battalion Chief Geoff Hunter said.

Responding crews could see the building heavily involved in a fire while en route and called for a second alarm soon after arriving to the scene, Hunter said.

The fire was difficult to put out because the one-story building was on a hillside located close to other homes, according to Hunter.

The first fire crew at the scene initially set up at an alley behind the home and prevented the blaze from spreading to neighboring structures, he said.

The blaze was under control by about 5:30 a.m., he said.

All 14 occupants evacuated on their own before firefighters arrived, he said.

The American Red Cross was called to assist the residents because the structure was deemed uninhabitable, Hunter said.

One of the residents was treated for a cut on a hand from breaking a glass window and smoke inhalation but did not need to be transported to a hospital, according to Hunter.

No other injuries were reported.

Hunter estimated that the fire caused about $250,000 in property damage.

The incident was deemed suspicious because of the heavy body of fire found when crews reached the scene, he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

2-Alarm Fire Broke Out At Child Care Center Saturday Night

A two-alarm fire broke out at a Santa Rosa child care center late Saturday night, a fire battalion chief said.

Fire crews responded to a report of a structure fire at Children’s Learning Center at 1213 W. Steele Lane across the street from Coddingtown Mall around 10:40 p.m. Saturday, Santa Rosa fire Battalion Chief Michael Jones said.

Law enforcement units in the area reported seeing a large amount of fire coming from the building, he said.

The first fire crew arrived to find the blaze at the front of the structure and called for a second alarm, Jones sad.

The blaze quickly spread to hidden spaces of the facility, which was converted from a home to a classroom and learning space, according to Jones.

Fire crews blocked off an area where a power line fell and melted from the heat of the fire, he said.

The blaze was under control about 30 minutes later and crews stayed on scene for three hours to extinguish hot spots, he said.

No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Operating under the same ownership since 1990, the center offers day care programs for children ranging from 18 months to 6 years old, according to its website.

Teenager Stabbed At Park On Saturday

A teenager was stabbed at a park in Concord on Saturday, police said on Sunday.

Police said officers responded to a report of a large group of people fighting at Newhall Community Park off of Newhall Parkway at 4:18 p.m. Witnesses reported around 20 people were involved in the melee and some were seen with pistols, police said. Most left before police arrived, leaving the stabbing victim behind.

The teen was transported to the hospital with a stab wound to the abdomen that police said was not considered life threatening.

Police said officers are still interviewing witnesses about what started the fight and who was there. Officers do not yet have any leads on suspects in the stabbing, police said.

Newhall Community Park is a 126-acre open space area with sports fields, a dog park, picnic tables and wooded areas. It’s not necessarily a populated area except during special events, police said.

Police Arrest Man On Gang-Related Charges, Seize Gun

Police arrested a Santa Rosa man at a regional park on Saturday on suspicion of gang-related charges after finding a revolver in his pants pockets, police said on Sunday.

Around 3 p.m., police responded to a report of shots fired in the area of the Spring Lake Regional Park, police said.

The officers, along with park rangers, were able to access a park trail at the dead end of Violetti Road, which led to the area where gunshots were reported, police said.

Police saw five people loitering in a clearing along the dirt road and stopped to speak with them. Police said the group admitted to smoking marijuana and one man admitted he had a knife concealed in his pants pocket.

One of the officers searched the man, identified as Mason Daniel Hopkins, 18, and found a loaded .38 caliber revolver in the pockets of his pants, police said.

Police said Hopkins was wearing clothing consistent with a gang affiliation and Hopkins had prior gang-related contacts in Santa Rosa.

Police arrested Hopkins on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm, carrying a loaded firearm in public, a gang enhancement and committing a crime to benefit a gang.

He was booked at the Main Adult Detention Center on a $50,000 bail, police said.

Weather Forecast For The San Francisco Bay Area

Skies will be mostly cloudy today with a chance of showers in the morning. Highs will be in the lower 60s with southwest winds of 5 to 15 mph.

A wind advisory is in effect until 4 a.m.

Skies will be partly cloudy this evening, becoming mostly clear later. Lows will be in the upper 40s with north winds of 5 to 15 mph.

Skies will be sunny Tuesday with highs in the lower 60s. Winds will be from the north at 5 to 10 mph in the morning and from the west in the afternoon.