This week's crime news included the shocking homicide of sketch artist Stuart "Stu" Jackson, 74, of North Beach, who was the victim of a violent and unprovoked attack on December 5th at Market and Van Ness. He was taken off of life support and died on December 12th. Next week, we'll publish numerous sketches he did and written memories of him that readers sent in.
In this week's SFPD Central Station Captain's Newsletter, Capt. David Lazar notes that his station, with its new boundaries, will handle coverage of New Year's Eve fireworks on the Embarcadero, as well as parties on Broadway, in Fisherman's Wharf and throughout North Beach. He also gives a "holiday top 10" guide to help you avoid being a victim of crime.
In other news, Capt. Lazar discusses personnel transfers at the station (nine officers are leaving and nine new ones are arriving) and the daily crimefighting issues his officers face.
We also emailed the captain to ask how SantaCon and the "sobering station" went last Saturday, and he wrote that only two people used the station and one "became combative and had to go to the county jail." No criminal activity was reported, he added.
In the spirit of the season, Capt. Lazar also wrote about attending a toy drive at Gordon J. Lau Elementary School, which the station also tweeted:
Toy give-away at Gordon J Lau Elementary School. Thank you Dr. Chew for inviting us. pic.twitter.com/nxkR4mHM7o
— SFPD Central Station (@SFPDCentral) December 16, 2015And now for more incidents reported lately by the SFPD:
Hot prowl burglar lifts laptop
A 33-year-old man was in his living room watching TV when a hot prowl burglar apparently entered his bedroom through an unlocked window at about 5pm December 11th on the 600 block of Powell Street (near Bush by the border of Union Square and Lower Nob Hill). The burglar made off with a laptop computer and fled in an unknown direction.
Hot prowl burglar makes clean getaway with cash, laptop, vacuum
Another hot prowl burglary happened, this one at around 4:50am December 12th, when a 20-year-old man left the bedroom to use the bathroom. The burglar entered the room on Ross Alley in Chinatown via a fire escape and stole a laptop, cash, a wallet, a vacuum and a portable speaker.
CD scam results in robbery
A robbery call came in at 1:20pm December 12th after a male suspect approached the victim near Grant Avenue and Post Street in Union Square, placed a CD in his hand and asked him to pay for it. When the victim, a 20-year-old man, pulled out his wallet, a second male suspect took money from the wallet; both suspects fled on foot.
Man's nose broken in mugging
Just after midnight on December 14th, a robbery with force was reported at Broadway and Stockton on the Chinatown/North Beach border. Two men in their twenties approached a 26-year-old man on a bus and demanded his property. They struck him in the face, breaking his nose, then took his backpack, wallet, cellphone and money, and fled the scene. The victim was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Woman robbed while using ATM
There have been a string of robberies as people are using ATMs, and this week was no exception. A woman, 22, was at the machine near 660 Market St. in the FiDi at 8:39am December 16th when a suspect (no description given) approached and told her to move over. The suspect then produced a gun, withdrew money from her account, and fled in an unknown direction.
2 teenagers rob 12-year-old of phone, threaten to shoot him
A 12-year-old boy was robbed of his cell phone at 5:50pm December 16th on the 800 block of Columbus Ave. in North Beach by two male suspects, age 13–15. The victim was texting on his phone when the two suspects walked up to him. The first suspect said the second suspect would shoot the victim if he didn't give up the phone, and then went into the victim's pocket and took it. The victim said he didn't see a gun, but was scared of the suspects, who fled the scene with the phone.
