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Source: MedleyStory
A 19-year-old high school student has pleaded not guilty to charges that he tried to rape a teacher at his Redwood City charter school.
The San Mateo County Times reports that David Velasquez entered the four felony pleas Wednesday in the alleged Jan. 23 assault at Summit Preparatory High School. He remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.
Prosecutors say Velasquez approached the teacher from behind, ordered her at knifepoint toward her car and climbed on top of her when she dropped her keys in an effort to slow the alleged attack, which was interrupted when another teacher came upon the scene.
The 29-year-old teacher reportedly recognized Velasquez' voice because had had him as a student several times.
He's due back in court March 15.
Summit Prep was featured in "Waiting for Superman," the 2010 documentary that featured successful charter schools.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:55:15 -0800
Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus took the witness stand in Contra Costa County Superior Court Wednesday afternoon in a discrimination trial now in its fourth week against the city of Richmond and two top police officers.
The chief, his former second-in-command Lori Ritter and the city of Richmond are all on trial in a civil race-bias lawsuit brought against the city in 2007 by seven top-ranking Richmond police officers, all of whom are black.
Over the last few weeks, plaintiffs have testified that Magnus and Ritter, who is now retired, created an atmosphere of racial discrimination that pervaded the department.
The plaintiffs allege that both defendants made racist remarks on several occasions since Magnus' hiring in 2006, bypassed black officers for promotions and retaliated against officers who reported the alleged racist behavior.
The lawsuit also alleges that the city did not respond adequately to address the complaints.
Today, Magnus briefly took the witness stand moments after Cmdr. Cleveland Brown, a 34-year veteran of the Police Department, concluded his testimony in support of those allegations.
Stephen Jaffe, an attorney for the plaintiffs, asked the chief to explain a 2006 incident described during the trial in which Magnus posted a photograph inside the Police Department of Ritter bearing the label, "Master of the Universe".
The lawsuit alleges that the move was a racist dig suggestive of a master-slave relationship.
Magnus testified Wednesday that at the time, Ritter's was the only photo posted in the hallway, even after he'd asked officers multiple times to post their own official police photos.
Around April Fools' Day in 2006, he placed about a dozen copies of Ritter's photo in the hallway next to her lone photo and labeled them with different police titles from "Volunteer" and "Cadet" to "Deputy Chief" and "Master of the Universe".
"What it means for me is a joke, albeit one that I regret now," Magnus said. "I think it was an attempt to tease her a little bit that hers was the only photo there."
The "Master of the Universe" label was inspired by a late 1980s movie, he said.
Magnus testified that if any officer had told him the prank offended them, he would've immediately removed the photos and apologized.
Jaffe asked the chief whether the "Deputy Chief" label on one photo was a way of announcing to the department that she would soon be promoted to the position.
Ritter, along with Deputy Chief Ed Medina, were both promoted to Deputy Chief later that month, attorneys said.
The attorney asked Magnus to name other candidates that he'd interviewed for the position, but the chief said he could not remember them offhand.
"The fact is, you didn't talk to anyone else for the role of deputy chief," Jaffe said.
The chief is set to continue testimony on Thursday at 10 a.m.
Attorneys have said they expect the trial to last until April.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:22:28 -0800
A 49-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly attacking a resident and employee at a building in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, as well as three police officers who responded to the scene, police said Wednesday.
The suspect, who has not been identified, had apparently sought to commit suicide by getting shot by officers who came at about 5 p.m. Tuesday to an apartment in the first block of Perry Street where multiple assaults had been reported, according to police.
When the officers initially arrived, they found a resident who said her neighbor had knocked on her door, then forced his way into her apartment and struck her in the face, police said.
The suspect then went back into the hallway and confronted the building manager, who was trying to intervene. The suspect kicked the building manager several times until another employee stopped the attack, police said.
The suspect then fled from the building, but later returned after police had responded to the scene.
He encountered an officer in the third floor hallway, where he concealed his right hand and yelled "I have a gun and I'm going to use it," police said.
Believing the suspect was armed, the officer took out his handgun and called for backup.
The officer's partner arrived and grabbed the suspect from behind, tackling him to the ground, according to police.
The officers violently struggled to try to take the man into custody. He allegedly tried to bite one of the officers and spit in the other's face, then told them he had a communicable disease, police said.
One of the officers used his pepper spray on the suspect but it had no apparent effect, according to police.
Other officers then arrived, one of whom punched the suspect several times with a closed fist, helping them finally take him into custody, according to police.
Police released information about the incident after ABC7 obtained a video of the arrest that shows an officer repeatedly punching the suspect.
During the struggle, one of the officers hit his head on a wall, suffering a contusion, while a second suffered numerous abrasions and scratches. The third officer who punched the suspect suffered serious injuries to his hand and was treated at a hospital, police said.
Investigators determined that the suspect had posted on a social networking website saying he was going to try to get police officers to shoot him, according to police.
Police said he wrote, "I'm gonna check out. Tonight is the night," and "OK, the cops are coming here, I'm gonna pretend to have a gun and they will shoot me, remember the movie Butch Cassidy."
The suspect was taken to a hospital for mental evaluation. After being medically cleared, he will be booked into jail on suspicion of felony threats against a public official, felony battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and two counts of misdemeanor battery, police said.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:06:53 -0800
A San Francisco Municipal Railway bus driver was struck in the head with a cane by an angry passenger in the city's Mission District on Tuesday night, a police spokesman said Wednesday.
Denvie Coleman, 57, was arrested on suspicion of the assault, which was reported at about 10 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of 16th and Mission streets, police spokesman Sgt. Daryl Fong said.
The 45-year-old bus driver had apparently stopped at the intersection to allow passengers to enter and exit the vehicle, and Coleman became irate because people were coming in the front entrance before he was able to get out, Fong said.
Once he made his way out of the bus, Coleman then allegedly blocked the vehicle, struck its front windshield twice with his cane, then came around and struck the bus driver with the cane through her open window, according to Fong.
Officers arrived and arrested Coleman, a San Francisco resident, on suspicion of aggravated assault and for an outstanding warrant from another county, Fong said.
The bus driver suffered a contusion on her forehead and was taken to San Francisco General Hospital for evaluation
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:45:17 -0800
Federal and local law enforcement officials announced in San Francisco Wednesday they had charged 33 people and arrested 27 of them, primarily in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park, on charges of selling crack cocaine and methamphetamine.
U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag said more than 900 FBI agents and East Palo Alto and Menlo Park police officers arrested 27 people and executed more than 30 search warrants in a large-scale takedown on Tuesday.
Haag said the arrests were the result of a two-year investigation that focused on "an associated group of individuals who supplied drugs, which included cocaine and methamphetamine, to multiple gangs in the area of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park."
The probe was carried out by a federal, state and local coalition called the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force.
East Palo Alto Police Chief Ronald Davis said at a news conference at the Federal Building in San Francisco, "This operation resulted in a significant blow against the scourge of gangs, drugs and violence in our communities.
"I'm very confident today's operation will impact violence for this year and next year," Davis said.
Menlo Park Police Chief Bryan Roberts said, "Task forces of this nature are a crucial component for local law enforcement to effectively address violent crime and narcotic trafficking in their communities."
The defendants were charged with various drug trafficking crimes in at least 15 different grand jury indictments and criminal complaints. Most of the charges were filed under seal on Jan. 31 and unsealed Wednesday.
In addition to the 27 arrested Tuesday, six other defendants were fugitives, Haag said. She said money, drugs, firearms and cars were seized in the searches.
Haag said the FBI agents who helped to carry out Tuesday's arrests and searches came from FBI SWAT teams in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Portland, Phoenix and Las Vegas, she said.
She said federal and state agencies participating in the two-year investigation were the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the California Highway Patrol.
Local agencies that joined in the investigation included the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office and the East Palo Alto, Fremont, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Newark, Oakland, Palo Alto, Redwood City, Santa Clara and Stockton police departments.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:40:06 -0800
A Berkeley police officer shot a man in Castro Valley early Wednesday evening after the suspect pinned another officer between two cars, according to an Alameda County Sheriff's Office spokesman.
The shooting occurred at around 5 p.m. near Center Street and Grove Way, Alameda County sheriff's Sgt. J.D. Nelson said.
"They decided to take the suspect into custody," said Nelson. "During that time, the suspect backed his vehicle which pinned a Berkeley police officer between the suspect vehicle and the unmarked Berkeley car."
Nelson said that was when another officer shot the suspect.
The officer who was pinned between the vehicles was taken to a hospital with serious hand and leg injuries that are not considered life-threatening, Nelson said.
The suspect was taken to Eden Medical Center. As of 10 p.m., his condition was not known.
"We don't know at this point," said Nelson. "We haven't gotten any updates, but anytime you have a gunshot wound, you never know."
At around 9 p.m., a woman approached KTVU and said the suspect is the father of her daughter. She identified him as 48-year-old Steven Moore.
"He probably didn't know it was the police at first," said the woman Eraina Swift. "He's not a violent person. I know that he did not try to hurt that officer and I know that they should not have shot him."
Crime lab technicians were at the still-closed location Wednesday night to do what is called a Leica scan, which Nelson described as a 360-degree picture of the scene.
"We kind of freeze the scene until that's done," explained Nelson. "Then after that's done, we'll go in and search the car and pick up all the things that are around."
Investigators have not said why the Berkeley officers pulled the car over nor would they say how the driver was tied to their investigation.
Moore's family called KTVU from Eden Medical Center and said they still haven't gotten word on his condition.
Investigators told KTVU they planned to be at the scene for hours.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:28:00 -0800
Proponents of a hormone-based diet claim you can lose 10 pounds in three weeks with no exercise, but this unusual weight-loss program some swear by comes with serious government warnings.
For Sanjay Mohindra, tennis comes easy. But losing weight doesn't. With his 20-year high school reunion looming last summer, the then 230-pound Mohindra found a diet that finally worked for him.
"I was able to lose twenty-five pounds in three weeks and get under two hundred pounds. It got to a point where I didn't even know what I was going to wear because I couldn't fit into my suits," said Mohindra. He went on to lose an additional 15 pounds. His parents were so impressed with his weight loss, they also signed up for the controversial plan.
"I started at 124 pounds. I'm at 109 pounds. Now, I don't think I could have done this any other way," said Nina Mohindra, Sanjay's mother.
The way the family did it was the HCG or Human Chorionic Gonadotropin diet. HGC is a hormone produced by pregnant women. Under a doctor's care, the diet required them to inject themselves daily with the hormone and follow a very strict diet of only 500 calories a day and not exercise.
"Not only did I not feel dizzy or weak, this is the best I have felt in my life," said Raj Mohindra, Sanjay's father. He still checks his blood pressure, but is off his medication after losing 24 pounds.
The HCG diet is not new. It first surfaced in the 1950s. Today, it's FDA approved for fertility treatments, not weight loss. But the Mohindras' doctor at a Saratoga anti-aging clinic is able to prescribe HCG as an off-label use. He has done so for roughly 500 patients. He calls it a short-term jumpstart rather than a long-term solution.
"For the patients who follow our program correctly, 90-to-95 percent lose our target weight, which for women is 20 pounds in 6 weeks. For men, it's 25 pounds in 6 weeks," said Dr. John Tang.
With a cost around $900, it can be successful for those willing to follow the detailed diet of only 500 calories a day. To give you an idea of what 500 calories is, that's about a turkey sandwich with mayo and cheese. But on this diet, you can only eat from a strict list of proteins, fruits and veggies for two meals a day.
"I would say the mind is a very powerful thing. And I would say there's a big placebo effect occuring here," cautions Dr. John Morton of Stanford Hospital's Bariatric Surgery Department. He stresses the impact and any long-term effects of HCG as a weight loss program have not been studied and says some of his clients have tried and failed.
"Lemon, cayenne, pepper, and maple syrup diets all the way to HCG. I do think this appears to be a gimmick," said Dr. Morton.
The FDA stresses there are no FDA-approved HCG products for weight loss. In December, they started cracking down on companies illegally selling them over the counter. The FDA calls the low-calorie diet reckless and says eating so little is likely behind the weight loss. Nutritionists warn it's not a long-term solution.
"The minute you lose it and stop eating that way, you gain it back. In 99.99% of the cases, the individuals gained back even more weight than they lost," said dietician Lillian Castillo.
But the Mohindra family says they have not gained the weight back thanks to the one thing all sides agree on: healthier eating.
To read more about the Federal Drug Administration warnings regarding HGC diets, you can go to the FDA web page on the subject.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:12:26 -0800
Hayward police are involved in a standoff situation on the 2700 block of Hayward Boulevard and Civic.
Police and fire have responded to a 911 call of a domestic disturbance involving a restraining order violation.
It is believed that there are three people occupying a residence and that there are firearms registered to the dwelling. A Special Response Unit and police snipers have been deployed.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:07:06 -0800
A woman was arrested for allegedly throwing a dog out of a third-story window in San Francisco's Mission Dolores neighborhood on Sunday, police said Wednesday.
Officers responded at 1:34 p.m. Sunday to a report of animal cruelty in the 100 block of Albion Street.
A witness reported seeing someone throw a Jack Russell terrier out of the window, police spokesman Officer Carlos Manfredi said.
The dog's owner then came outside to retrieve the animal and was confronted by the witness as officers arrived, Manfredi said.
The woman, whose name was not immediately available, was arrested and booked into county jail on suspicion of animal cruelty.
The dog was handed over to San Francisco Animal Care and Control.
Agency spokeswoman Deb Campbell said this afternoon that the dog remained in their care and was in stable condition.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:39:07 -0800
New charges were filed against a San Francisco man accused of posing as a doctor and illegally performing medical procedures after a third alleged victim came forward recently, a district attorney's office spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Carlos Guzmangarza, 49, also known as Carlos Guzman, allegedly operated a dermatology clinic in the 2500 block of Mission Street called Derma Clinic and assumed the identity of a physician's assistant with a name similar to his, prosecutors said.
He pleaded not guilty in December to charges stemming from allegations that he performed liposuction on a woman.
Prosecutors said last month that a second victim had come forward. That woman said Guzmangarza told her was a doctor and that he could treat her for a dermatological condition, according to police.
However, during three consultations with him, Guzmangarza allegedly touched the woman inappropriately, claiming it was part of the treatment, while also making sexually charged remarks, police said.
A third victim has now contacted authorities with new allegations, district attorney's office spokeswoman Stephanie Ong Stillman said.
The new charges filed in the case include practicing medicine without a license, sexual touching under false medical pretenses, sexual touching without consent, impersonation, identity theft and grand theft, Stillman said.
She said even more victims may come forward in the case.
Guzmangarza, who remains in custody, had his bail increased from $750,000 to $850,000 at a hearing on Tuesday.
He will return to court on March 5 for a status hearing in the case.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:51:37 -0800
San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, facing trial on domestic abuse charges, was granted limited visitation rights with his son at a court hearing Wednesday morning.
Mirkarimi is facing allegations of domestic violence against his wife, Eliana Lopez, and has been under a court order to stay away from Lopez and the couple's 2-year-old son Theo since being arrested and charged on Jan. 13.
But San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ronald Albers approved an agreement between Mirkarimi and Lopez in which Mirkarimi can see his son for two hours each weekday and up to six hours on a weekend day.
The agreement, which is effective immediately, stipulates that Theo will be taken to and from Mirkarimi by either Patricia or Jeremy Forsyth, a mother and son who are friends of the family.
Near tears while speaking to reporters outside the courthouse after the hearing, Mirkarimi said, "I get to see my son."
"I can't tell you how excited and grateful I am," he said.
Mirkarimi said that since being separated from his son, he has been buying books and toys to give to him upon their reunion, including a small fire truck he pulled out of his pocket to show reporters.
"It's been so unhealthy for us to be apart," he said. "My son and I are very close."
Although the order involving Mirkarimi's son was modified, the order to stay away from Lopez remains in effect.
That order stems from an alleged domestic violence incident on Dec. 31 in which Mirkarimi is accused of grabbing Lopez and bruising her arm.
It will stay in effect until the end of his trial on charges of misdemeanor domestic violence battery, child endangerment and dissuading a witness. The trial is set to begin Feb. 24.
Before the agreement was approved by Albers, the family court had mediators meet with both Mirkarimi and Lopez to discuss what was in the best interest of their son. The couple had to be in separate rooms because of the stay-away order, Lopez's attorney Paula Canny said.
They returned with an agreement that Albers said "makes absolute sense to me."
However, part of the agreement apparently didn't make sense to the couple's attorneys. Mirkarimi's attorneys told reporters they took the weekend hours outlined in the agreement to mean six hours per weekend, while Lopez's attorneys said that meant up to six hours each weekend day.
Regardless, the agreement means that Mirkarimi will have a chance to see his son this afternoon, the attorneys said.
Lopez briefly spoke to reporters outside of court, saying she is "extremely happy" that Theo is going to see his dad and that "it's going to be a surprise for him."
Canny, Lopez's attorney, took issue with the presence of Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Aguilar-Tarchi, who is prosecuting the case, at Wednesday's family court hearing.
Aguilar-Tarchi tried to speak in front of Albers at the end of the hearing but the judge walked out of the courtroom without addressing her.
"Never before in my career have I seen a deputy district attorney attempt to intervene" in a family court case, Canny said.
She said the prosecutor was "not thinking about what's in the best interest of Theo, but what's in the best interest of her case, and that's just wrong."
A district attorney's office spokesperson was not immediately available to say what Aguilar-Tarchi planned to discuss to the judge.
Canny said she is also considering whether to try to modify the order preventing contact between Mirkarimi and Lopez, saying the sheriff "isn't guilty of the things he's charged of."
Barring any further hearings on the stay-away order, Mirkarimi is next scheduled to return to criminal court at the Hall of Justice on Feb. 22 for a pre-trial conference.
If convicted of all charges, he could face up to a year in jail and three years' probation.
Mirkarimi was sworn in as sheriff on Jan. 8 after serving for seven years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:41:42 -0800
San Jose police released surveillance photos of a man who robbed a grocery store at gunpoint last month in hopes that the public can help identify him.
The robbery occurred at about 8:05 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the Stop & Save Food Store at 1212 East Julian St.
Photos released by the department show an unidentified man pointing a black handgun at a clerk and demanding money from the register.
Police said the clerk complied and the man fled with cash.
There were no reports of shots fired or injuries, according to police.
The suspect was described as a Hispanic man in his early to mid-20s, standing at about 5 feet 6 inches tall, and weighing 130 pounds. He had a mustache and was wearing a black T-shirt, gray hooded sweatshirt, and black pants.
Anyone with information about the robbery or the suspect was asked to call police Detective Adam Hutson at (408) 277-4166. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at (408) 947-STOP (7867) or visit svcrimestoppers.org.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:32:26 -0800
A San Francisco-based federal appeals court has halted the deportation of seven immigrants.
In a 2-1 ruling on Monday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals demanded the Obama administration explain whether the immigrants qualify for a reprieve under the administration's new immigration directive.
That directive, issued in June, prioritized the deportation of convicted criminals and called on immigration authorities to consider such factors as an immigrant's U.S. family ties in deciding cases.
The court gave the administration until March 19 to respond.
Among the immigrants whose deportation was halted was David Aranda Rodriguez. Rodriguez's attorney, Bernadette Connolly, said her client has lived in the United States for more than two decades and cares for two children who are U.S. citizens.
The dissenting 9th Circuit judge accused the court of overreaching.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:52:48 -0800
Heavy morning fog blanketed Highway 37 near Sonoma’s Infineon Raceway early Wednesday, triggering a series of 11 chain reaction crashes involving 31 vehicles, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The chain-reaction crashes were reported at around 7:55 a.m. in an area where the highway is surrounded by marsh and swampland. The cutover is popular with local residents heading toward Highway 80 in Vallejo or Highway 101 in Novato.
Bob Banos, who’s SUV received heavy damage to its front end, said the fog was so thick he never saw the other cars until it was too late to stop.
“There was a thick fog that caused most of us to slow down,” he said. “I was on top of the cars before I could see them. I braked full on and hit the cars blocking the lane. Two or three seconds later I was impacted from the rear. I just kept hearing the sounds of collisions one after another.”
Doreen Cortez said she had swerved to avoid the pileup, but still got hit.
“It was very foggy, you couldn’t see 20 feet,” she told KTVU. “I had pulled to the side and the lady in back of me hit me and pushed me into the car in front of me. Then I could just hear a multitude of crashes in back of me.”
Meanwhile, Ignacio Lopez slammed on his brakes and steered his truck into a roadside creek to avoid the other vehicles.
“Traffic stopped completely in front of me. My only choice was to go into the river,” he told KTVU. “There was just too much fog.” The CHP closed the highway to allow emergency vehicles to reach the scene of the crash. Traffic was turned around at Skaggs Island on Highway 37 and also at the Infineon for several hours.
At least two people were being treated at the scene for neck and back injuries.
The heavy fog blanketed many areas of the Bay Area early Wednesday, forcing the National Weather Service to issue a fog advisory.
The CHP warned drivers of foggy conditions on the Carquinez, Richmond-San Rafael and Bay bridges. Flight delays of up to 30 minutes were reported at San Francisco International.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:01:12 -0800
A man accused of committing dozens of Bay Area robberies using a chrome revolver pleaded not guilty to 37 felony counts in San Mateo County Court.
Ricky Renee Sanders, 34, was nicknamed the "chrome revolver bandit" because of the silver-barreled revolver he allegedly used in as many as 30 armed robberies or attempted robberies at retail businesses in several Bay Area cities, according to the district attorney's office.
In the most serious case, Sanders is accused of shooting a store clerk in the leg while robbing a PetSmart store in San Mateo on Oct. 8, prosecutors said.
The victim suffered a severed femoral artery but survived the shooting.
Sanders is suspected of robbing a BevMo in Colma, a GameStop in Colma, and various businesses in San Francisco, San Jose, Daly City, Redwood City and Fremont, prosecutors said.
Sanders today pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of robbery with a firearm, five counts of attempted robbery, six counts of assault with a firearm, nine counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of mayhem.
He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on April 30.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:25:58 -0800
As police in Walnut Creek step up patrols of bars and nightclubs in an effort to prevent crime, city leaders voted Tuesday night to cut one popular downtown nightspot's hours.
The Walnut Creek City Council voted unanimously to deny an appeal from the owners of Lift Lounge and Grill that would have allowed the Locust Street business to continue operating until 12:30 a.m.
Instead, the council voted to roll back the bar and grill's hours by one hour for the next 90 days, after which time the business owners may re-apply to extend their hours.
The decision follows a nearly identical planning commission vote to scale back the bar and eatery's hours after a review of Lift Lounge and violations of the lounge's conditional use alcohol permit since the business launched in November 2009.
Since that time, police say they have received 80 calls for service at the bar and grill, mostly connected to drunken people leaving the business who cause a disturbance.
Other offenses police say occurred in connection to Lift Lounge during that time range from driving under the influence arrests to physical fights outside the building and one sexual assault inside the bar, according to Walnut Creek police Capt. Tim Schultz, who spoke at the Tuesday night hearing.
"I think the over-service of alcohol has led to a large number of the calls that may not otherwise exist," Schultz said.
Similar businesses downtown have had far fewer disturbance calls, he said.
And police, he said, are left to "deal with the fallout" from Lift Lounge patrons who start fights or urinate outside, although he said that type of behavior cannot be attributed solely to the bar.
David Bowie, an attorney representing Lift Lounge, said its owners should not be expected to police the area surrounding their business, where many of the public disturbances that police cite have occurred.
He and Lift Lounge's co-owner, Jasmine Butler, urged the council to grant the fledgling business another chance to comply with their conditional use permit.
Since the planning commission vote to cut the bar's hours two months ago, police have received just four calls for service there, Councilwoman Cindy Silva noted.
And for several Walnut Creek residents who spoke during the meeting, the bar and grill provides more than a safe, friendly environment -- it also fills a late-night niche in town that's an alternative to fast-food, according to about half a dozen speakers Tuesday night.
For 27-year-old Walnut Creek resident Noel Ronda, Lift Lounge is one of the rare local spots where she and her boyfriend can eat a meal and have a drink after a late-night movie.
John Muir Medical Center worker John Gainey, a Walnut Creek resident in his late 30s, told the council that after a 16-hour shift, Lift Lounge provides "food that's decent and not exorbitantly expensive."
After about three hours considering the appeal, the council nonetheless voted to slash the bar's hours.
The decision comes after the first weekend of beefed-up police patrols at Walnut Creek bars, meant to crack down rising numbers of fist fights and other disturbances around the city's nightspots in recent months.
Police Chief Joel Bryden said Tuesday that the additional police presence appears to have been successful, slashing numbers of arrests and disturbance calls over the weekend.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:23:01 -0800
Southbound U.S. Highway 101 lanes were reopened early Wednesday after a California Highway Patrol chase ended in an accident, according to a CHP spokesman.
Southbound lanes just north of East Poplar Avenue reopened at 1:32 a.m., according to the CHP, after a pursuit ended there and blocked lanes at 12:28 a.m.
The police pursuit began at 12:08 a.m. out of San Pablo. San Pablo police eventually turned the chase over to the CHP when the suspect drove through San Francisco. The chase ended in San Mateo 20 minutes later, CHP Officer Art Montiel said.
The suspect appeared to be driving at high speeds and weaving between cars and almost crashed into another vehicle, so the driver swerved and lost control, Montiel said.
That is when the car rolled over several times, injuring the driver, who was sent to Stanford Hospital with minor injuries, Montiel said.
The suspect will be taken into custody after he is released from the hospital, Montiel said.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:18:20 -0800
An explosion ripped through an Ingleside District home late Tuesday, sending a woman and an 12-year-old to the hospital for treatment of burns, according to authorities and a resident of the home.
Authorities said they got a 911 call around 8:50 p.m. reporting an explosion at a residence near Capitol and Ocean Avenues.
Arriving firefighters found that the force of the blast had blown out the front windows, spreading glass and debris all across the street.
A man living at the home told KTVU that the flash fire from the blast burned his 33-year-old fiancée and her 12-year-old, who were transported to St. Francis Hospital’s burn unit. They were expected to recover from their burns.
The man told KTVU he had gone out to his car to retrieve something when the explosion rocked the building. His fiancée, the man said, was in the bathroom at the time and her son was playing a video game in the front room.
Police investigators arrived and determined that a butane tank had exploded as drugs were allegedly being manufactured, police spokesman Sgt. Daryl Fong said.
The woman could be arrested in connection with the explosion, Fong said.
Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.
Published: Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:57:52 -0800
A small plane that crashed outside Fresno Sunday killed the pilot.
But investigators were saying Tuesday that the Cessna had been stolen from Buchanan Field in Concord.
The 1980's Cessna airplane was a mangled mess after the crash and the man behind the wheel, identified Tuesday as 52 year old Ray Pirro, was killed on impact.
Federal investigators told KTVU he stole that plane sometime over the weekend.
The plane's rightful owner, Felix Boston of Walnut Creek, couldn't believe it when he got the call.
"He asked me he said you know your plane's been in an accident. I said no it should have been up here, " recalled Boston.
Even though they have 24 hour security at Buchanan Field, Boston believes Pirro likely just hopped a short chain link fence around the tarmac, hotwired the plane and then took off.
There are reports Pirro first flew to Stockton where he landed, bought food and then took off again.
After the crash, Boston took a photo of the altered tail number on his stolen plane.
An NTSB investigator said Pirro was not a licensed pilot.
It appears he clipped some power lines prior to the crash.
Pilots at Buchanan Field like Fiona McChesney expressed worries over airport security.
"You know if someone really wants to get into an airport they can get on an airport," said McChesney.
However, the theft of a small plane is an unusual crime -- according to a non-profit aviation group, on average fewer than 10 planes are stolen in the U.S. every year.
Published: Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:48:54 -0800
Oakland officials Tuesday criticized the hacker group Anonymous for posting personal information about them but said they are not overly worried about it.
The hacker group said it was posting the information about the city's leaders because it's unhappy with the way they have treated Occupy Oakland protesters.
The group targeted Mayor Jean Quan, Chief of Police Howard Jordan, Oakland City Administrator Deanna Santana, City Attorney Barbara Parker, and City Council Members Jane Brunner, Pat Kernighan, Nancy Nadel, Libby Schaaf, Ignacio De La Fuente, Desley Brooks and Larry Reid.
However, the group spared Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, saying, “Thank you for your support and being a true leader in the community."
The post includes details such as phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, salary information, family information, website administration IDs and property value information.
Jordan called the posting "a distraction" and "cyber-terrorism" and said he is taking steps to "protect my family and myself."
He said he doesn't like having personal information about himself and his family posted on the Internet because "I like to be anonymous at home."
Sue Piper, Quan's spokeswoman, said, "This is all information that is already available online and it's not a big deal to the mayor."
Kernighan said, "It's kind of crazy to have the information out there because there might be crazy people who would respond to it" and said she received "a weird phone call" at 4 a.m. today from someone who saw the information.
She said the fact that Anonymous posted the information "is clearly intended to intimidate us but we won't be intimidated."
Kernighan said, "It's annoying but it's not dangerous."
She said she's upset that the group posted the names of council members' children but she's not concerned about her own children because they're already grown.
Anonymous was in the news in the Bay Area last summer when it infiltrated the computer system for the union that represents BART police officers and posted personal information about 102 officers after the transit agency shut off cellphone service at several San Francisco stations to thwart protesters.
In its posting, Anonymous said it has been "actively monitoring" Oakland officials since the beginning of Occupy Oakland last October.
The group said Oakland police "have continued to act in an unprofessional and violent manner."
Anonymous said, "You tear gassed us. You shot us with your weapons. You arrested us. You beat us. You also did this to our friends, and to our families."
The group also said, "We watched as you cut budgets, cut our jobs, closed our schools, our parks, and our libraries, while leaving your own salaries alone."
Anonymous said, "The people on this list are supposed to represent the best of what the city of Oakland has to offer. If they are the best, why is there so much trouble within the Police Department and in the city of Oakland?"
Published: Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:26:04 -0800
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