Burglary

Bernal Heights Robbers Work 9-5

String of Robberies Earns California Man 927 Years in Prison

'Michael the Car Thief' and Pals Arrested In Ingleside Terrace

Real life imitated reel life in San Francisco this week...One of the overlooked classic scenes in the Coen Brothers 1987 film Raising Arizona comes when the inept criminal brothers Evelle and Gale Snoat walk into the "hayseed bank" with rifles blazing, ready for a robbery. Evelle tells his brother " ... More >>

A Gem of a Caper

Bags of jewels stolen. Two brothers in custody. The store owner implicated. Who done it?

Sports & Recreation

Bags of jewels stolen. Two brothers in custody. The store owner implicated. Who done it?

Best Bike Shop

Bags of jewels stolen. Two brothers in custody. The store owner implicated. Who done it?

The Perfect Crime

For 20 years, South American thieves have been stealing millions of dollars in gems and jewelry from traveling salespeople in San Francisco. And no one -- not the cops, jewelers, or insurance companies -- has the slightest idea how to stop them.

Night Crawler

Games People Play

Zoom Lens

Games People Play

Alleged Serial Burglar Nabbed in West Portal

While, when it comes to homicides, it appears that it's once again open season in the city, it's nice to see that a concerted police effort to stamp out a spree of lesser crimes appears to have borne fruit. (It also gave the cops the opportunity to use the term "dragnet" with a straight face). A str ... More >>

Like Stealing Electronics From a Baby: Police Bust Alleged Elementary School Burglars

Robert Fulghum earned a living, fame, and everlasting enmity from authors toiling over Russian Novel-length manuscripts after putting in a full day at the regular job when he published his sickly sweet manifesto, Everything I Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten. Among the pearls of wisdom Fulghu ... More >>

Man Arrested for Battery (Theft)

The Taraval Police Station blotter carries yet another story of a thief with prior convictions getting nabbed for (very) petty theft. This week's story is posted below:05/27/09  5:25pm                  &nb ... More >>

Rock On: Is Simplistic Smash 'n' Grab Robber Menacing Chinatown Again?

The 'River Rock Burglar,' portrayed here by Billy Joel, has hit five San Francisco stores in the past two weeksIn the annals of criminality, there are numerous men and women who have earned dubious distinctions via decisions such as wearing paraphernalia emblazoned with their names or places of busi ... More >>

Would-Be Noe Valley Burglar Unclear on the Concept: Steal Item *and* Leave With It

Nottingham (U.K.) Crime and Drug PartnershipLeaving the premises with your ill-gotten gains is an important step for every successful burglarThere's a world of difference between intricate, Oceans 11-style heists and, say, the Neanderthal-approved methods of, say, the River Rock Burglar.  That ... More >>

SFPD: River Rock Burglar Suspects Arrested

 A pair of men police blame for a rash of smash 'n' grab robberies in the Chinatown/North Beach area were arrested early this morning by plainclothes officers. Nicknamed the "River Rock Burglar" because of his continued use of smooth, cobblestone-like rocks to smash store windows, the alleged t ... More >>

Cross-country cyclist gets a rude welcome from S.F. bike thieves

 A pair of men police blame for a rash of smash 'n' grab robberies in the Chinatown/North Beach area were arrested early this morning by plainclothes officers. Nicknamed the "River Rock Burglar" because of his continued use of smooth, cobblestone-like rocks to smash store windows, the alleged t ... More >>

Alternative Tentacles' 30th anniversary

 A pair of men police blame for a rash of smash 'n' grab robberies in the Chinatown/North Beach area were arrested early this morning by plainclothes officers. Nicknamed the "River Rock Burglar" because of his continued use of smooth, cobblestone-like rocks to smash store windows, the alleged t ... More >>

Bike vigilantes: Victims strike back

 A pair of men police blame for a rash of smash 'n' grab robberies in the Chinatown/North Beach area were arrested early this morning by plainclothes officers. Nicknamed the "River Rock Burglar" because of his continued use of smooth, cobblestone-like rocks to smash store windows, the alleged t ... More >>

Suggestive Thief Implies Victim Should Re-Use Picked Lock

What's the worst that could happen?​The saying, going back to Homeric times, has been "Beware Greeks bearing gifts" -- which, in all likelihood, has led to many huffy incidents and refused offerings of olive oil, ouzo or kombológia. In short, it means you should think hard about trusting thos ... More >>

Man, Shot in Head By Alleged Thieves, Clings to Life

View Larger MapA man shot in the head by alleged thieves he apparently interrupted while burglarizing his car in Visitacion Valley is fighting for his life this morning, despite the severity of his wounds. The victim, whose name has not yet been released by police, walked outside at around 4:40 Mond ... More >>

Statewide, Crime Is Down, Down, Down. Locally? *Mostly* Down.

'Cut it out!' 'Okay.' ​According to a preliminary Attorney General's report on crime from January to June of last year, things are on the up and up. Well, make that the down and down. On the statewide level, the number of reported crimes declined in every category from the 2008 totals. Read the fo ... More >>

Man Accused of Robbing, Beating Girlfriend, Hanging Her Puppy

Gerald Anthony Ortega is accused of hanging his girlfriend's dog, a Jack Russell terrier puppy like this one​A man charged with beating his girlfriend, breaking into her apartment, and hanging her Jack Russell terrier puppy will be arraigned today. Gerald Anthony Ortega, 25, has a court date today ... More >>

Gerald Anthony Ortega, Accused of Hanging Puppy, Back in Court Again

Not the actual dog, no...​The Antioch man accused of beating his girlfriend, breaking into her apartment, and hanging her Jack Russell terrier puppy to death with an electric cord was arraigned yesterday. He was given a May 13 date to next appear in court in Martinez for a "further arraignment," a ... More >>

Car Stolen With Toddler Inside

A black Cadilac Seville, similar to the vehicle carjacked today with a 5-year-old in the back seat​A man suffered every father's nightmare this morning: After he stepped out of his car to fill up at a gas station, a thief leaped in and drove off -- with the man's 5-year-old daughter in the back se ... More >>

Cash Register Thefts: Foolish Criminals Plague San Francisco

Criminals' rule of thumb: Take the cash. Leave the register. ​Following a cash register theft on the 100 block of Chenery over the weekend and one at 301 Rolph in mid-October, yesterday's cash register heist in the 4700 block of Mission marks a trend. A stupid trend. Captain Louis Cassanego of the ... More >>

'Inept' Burglars Targeting Elementary Schools

Not you again! ​An early morning break-in yesterday at Longfellow Elementary School appears to be the latest in a series of elementary school burglaries by a thief or thieves police describe as "inept." The miscreants roamed through Longfellow and damaged several doors -- including the principal's ... More >>

Genius Thief Attempts to Steal Fire Department Emergency Vehicle

Ready to steal...​A thief who will likely never qualify for Mensa failed in his quest earlier this week to steal a highly visible, highly traceable fire department emergency vehicle. The description of the vehicle in question: "A San Francisco Fire Department emergency vehicle; red paint with ligh ... More >>

Released Mental Patient Steals Taxi

You never know...​Comedian George Carlin used to assemble lists of "things you never want to see." One memorable entry: "A man in a hospital gown driving a steamroller." Something along those lines came to pass in the East Bay over the weekend. Jermaine Grosse, a 26-year-old man who hailed a taxi ... More >>

Jermaine Grosse, Mental Patient Charged With Taxi Theft: Did He Pick Up Fares?

Jermaine Grosse, impromptu cabbie​A few more details have come to light regarding Jermaine Grosse, the San Pablo man who followed up an involuntary psychiatric hold in a Martinez hospital by allegedly stealing the cab he was transported home in. Since Grosse allegedly made off with the cab on Satu ... More >>

Police Collar Man Robbing Official Police Clothier

Police notice when you steal from their clothier​A burglar was caught in the act Sunday perpetrating an alleged crime every bit as ill-conceived as robbing a doughnut store. Police nabbed an as-yet unidentified man as he was purportedly robbing Galls on Cesar Chavez -- the official clothier of the ... More >>

Bait Car Pays SFPD to Entice Drivers to Steal Cars

Police notice when you steal from their clothier​A burglar was caught in the act Sunday perpetrating an alleged crime every bit as ill-conceived as robbing a doughnut store. Police nabbed an as-yet unidentified man as he was purportedly robbing Galls on Cesar Chavez -- the official clothier of the ... More >>

Charges Dropped For Transgender Woman Arrested Outside Diva's On 'Bait Car'

Just kidding, this woman isn't a car thief after all. ​The transgender woman who was the first person arrested for stealing a car as part of the San Francisco Bait Car reality TV show isn't a thief after all. Prosecutors dropped the car theft charges against Joseph Bullard on Friday after intervie ... More >>

Bank of America ATM Vandalized, Criminals Try to Steal Money Using Glue

Watch your back or pay the price​Some criminal tried to rip off Bank of America customers using street smarts that didn't pay off.At about 3 p.m. on Friday, a bank employee called police to report the ATM on the 1200 block of Fell Street had been vandalized, using a low-tech scam to steal cash fro ... More >>

Bouncer: A crime junkie gets robbed while drinking at the Attic

Watch your back or pay the price​Some criminal tried to rip off Bank of America customers using street smarts that didn't pay off.At about 3 p.m. on Friday, a bank employee called police to report the ATM on the 1200 block of Fell Street had been vandalized, using a low-tech scam to steal cash fro ... More >>

HIV Test Kits Found in Excelsior District

And the thief still doesn't know his status​Clearly, someone couldn't wait any longer to know their HIV status, and thought the quickest way to get results was to rip off a bunch of test kits from a Bay Area company. At about 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday police were called to investigate some medical su ... More >>

Family Pup Stolen During Home Burglary

Looking for Zoe ​A distraught Lauren Cox is pleading with burglars to return her 9-pound Maltese Shih-Tzu named Zoe who was stolen when Cox's house was broken into earlier this week. Zoe was taken Monday afternoon when Cox's Livermore house was burglarized in broad daylight. When Cox's fiance came ... More >>

Jewel Thieves, Accused of 'Brazen' S.F. Burglary, Nabbed ... in Nebraska

We're not in Kansas anymore​Cops finally caught up with some local jewelry thieves as they cruised along Interstate 80 -- in the middle of Nebraska. The tale begins on the 300 block of 29th Avenue -- a quiet residential block near upscale Sea Cliff. Jewel thieves plotted what police are calling a ... More >>

Dumb Thief Steals Police Car at Crime Scene

WTF?​Now here's a great episode for Bait Car -- the reality show where cops leave vehicles on the streets, hoping to tempt alleged thieves into stealing cars just so they can bust them.Police are looking for a ballsy man who stole an unmarked police car as cops responded to a call at Golden Gate P ... More >>

George Gascón Criticized for Considering Three Strikes Law in Alex Trebek Burglary

Will he strike out with voters?​Update: District Attorney George Gascón's campaign manager Maureen Erwin told SF Weekly today that she believes David Onek's campaign incorrectly propagated information that Gascón chose to prosecute Lucinda Moyers under the Three Strikes law."From a campaign's st ... More >>

Bike Bandit Strikes Again

Just a note from a loving victim ​Earlier this week, we warned readers about the rash of bike thefts happening in the Inner Sunset. The thief appears to have migrated to Cole Valley, where there have been increased reports of a cycle crook.Police Captain Denis O'Leary told SF Weekly that the thief ... More >>

Muni Rider Mistakenly Accused of Stealing iPhone Released from Jail

davitydave via FlickrWatch out behind you!​We read about crooks snatching cellphones from the hands of Muni riders all of the time, but 26-year-old Ronnie Morrisette isn't one of those thieves. After spending more than three months behind bars, a jury acquitted the San Francisco man on charges of ... More >>

Lower Haight Neighbors Warn They're Armed

We all have our own ways of keeping potential burglars at bay: A home security system, a dog with a threatening bark, or even just a sign that warns of a vicious dog on the premises, despite the fact that no dog actually lives there. And then there's these neighbors in the Lower Haight, who aren't s ... More >>

Stranded Burglary Suspect to Cops: I Don't Want Any Help. Go Away.

(Update 11:11 a.m.): Per Lieutenant Liam Frost (above), the suspect is refusing to talk to cops -- but chattily answering their questions anyway. The suspect -- described by cops as a 5-foot-7, 170-pound white man in his 20s or 30s -- says he doesn't want any help, and would like police to leave. (U ... More >>

Telegraph Hill Burglary Suspect Slides Down Cliff, Walks Away

Joe EskenaziSuspected cat burglar gets away ​The burglary suspect who was perched on a treacherous cliff along Telegraph Hill for more than 24 hours got just what he wanted: for police to go away so he could get away!At about 10 p.m., a few hours after police ended the standoff, a neighbor heard n ... More >>

Naturally, There's Now a Funny Song About the Telegraph Hill Burglar

​ It was certainly one of the weirdest local news stories of this week: Around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, a man was seen purloining a ring from an apartment atop Telegraph Hill. The apartment manager chased the burglar, but he hopped over a fence, only to find himself perched in thick brush atop a ... More >>

Reward Offered for "Ass Kicking" of "Scum Bag Thief" of Vintage Bike

Here's one way to earn $100...​Tara N. built that bicycle himself when he was a teenager. It had sat, dormant, in his parents' garage in San Jose for the better part of 22 years. And, not three weeks after he rescued it and planned to fix it up here in San Francisco -- someone broke in and stole i ... More >>

Wig-Wearing Bike Bandit Busted in the Upper Haight

​Cyclists plagued by ongoing bike theft in the Haight will be happy to know that police have finally busted a man they claim is likely responsible for a rash of bike thefts in the area. On Jan. 19, officers saw a man casually  riding a bike out of a garage on the 300 block of Broderick. Accor ... More >>

Thrillhouse Records Burglarized, Benefit Tonight at the Knockout

Thrillhouse Records at 3422 Mission St. ​Thrillhouse Records, a small, volunteer-run record store on Mission Street specializing in punk and hardcore, lost nearly $1,000 in cash and inventory in a burglary last week, according to its owner, Fred Schrunk. But Schrunk, who is also an employee o ... More >>

Heartless Burglars Beat Dogs, Steal Puppies

What kind of monster would beat a dog?​Police are asking for the public's help to locate four three-week-old puppies that were stolen during a burglary in the Double Rock neighborhood earlier this week. According to Sgt. Michael Andraychak, the burglars broke into a home on the 100 block of Camero ... More >>