Burglary

Oakland Assigns Just One Cop to Investigate 10,000 Robberies

Earlier this week, we probably shocked nobody with the news that Oakland was officially the robbery capital of America. But now we're going to tell you something that probably will shock you. According to news reports, Oakland police assigned only one part-time investigator last year to solve more ... More >>

Dimitri Storm, Bay Area's Most Elusive Fugitive, Busted in Oakland -- Finally

After running from the law for more than two months, Dimitri Storm, the Bay Area's most popular alleged robber, was arrested this week in Oakland, which, incidentally, was recently named the nation's robbery capital. According to press reports, police busted 42-year-old Storm on Tuesday night in O ... More >>

Next Two Generations of iPhones Already Developed, and DA George Gascón Is Bummed

Yesterday, Examiner crime reporter Mike Aldax got the gadget news of the day during an interview with San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón. According to the paper, the Cupertino tech giant Apple Inc. has no intent to implement a "kill-switch" that would disable devices that are report ... More >>

Shannon & the Clams: Show Preview

Cops to Teach Cyclists Some New Tricks on How to Avoid Getting Their Bikes Stolen

The only thing more frustrating than getting hit over the head with a high heel by a drunken Marina girl is having your brand-new bike stolen, even though you locked it up. This really isn't hard to believe, but bike theft is on the rise in San Francisco, with more than 500 bikes reported stolen l ... More >>

Kevin Michael Hagan Accused of Burglarizing Nancy Pelosi's Home

Napa County cops have busted the man who they say is responsible for a slew of residential burglaries, including one at Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's wine country house Monday night. According to news reports, police on Wednesday arrested 21-year-old Kevin Michael Hagan after he admitted to breaking ... More >>

Nancy Pelosi's Napa Valley Home Burglarized

Napa police are investigating a break-in at Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's Napa Valley home that happened long before voters started heading to the polls on Tuesday. Thieves reportedly broke into the House Minority Leader's Napa Valley house on Monday afternoon, the day before she was reelected to Con ... More >>

Beware: Blue-Tape Bandits Stick Ingleside Homes

We're not sure about you, but when we think of burglars, we tend to imagine a desperate dude (possibly drunk) making his way into a home, grabbing the loot, and making a run for it in an unidentified car. What we don't expect is for a successful burglary to be carried out by someone like Shy Ronnie. ... More >>

Kariem McFarlin: Alleged Burglar Also Took Off With Steve Jobs' Wallet, License, and Car Key

Kariem McFarlin, the man accused of breaking into Steve Jobs' home last month, reportedly confessed to investigators, saying he was "desperate for cash" and saw the late Apple CEO's home vacant and under construction. According to press reports, McFarlin told police he had no clue the Palo Alto fort ... More >>

Gonzalez Guzman, Drunk and Stranded Club-Goer, Off the Hook for Burglary

Now here's some good fodder for an anti-drinking campaign.A San Francisco jury acquitted a 20-year-old man today of burglary charges and instead convicted him of petty theft and receiving stolen property after he convinced jurors that he was just a drunk, not a crook. Gonzalez Guzman and his buddy, ... More >>

John Fradet Allegedly Stole Unbelievble Amount of Alcohol From Restaurant

San Francisco police have caught up with a window-smashing burglar who they said hit the same downtown business (literally) four times where he swiped $7,000 worth of booze. Officer Carlos Manfredi tells us that 40-year-old John Fradet was arrested yesterday on suspicion of burglary after police bus ... More >>

Occupy Oakland Protesters Charged With Hate Crimes For Stealing Wallet, Protest Planned

​By this point, it's clear that Oakland -- or at least the Easy Bay city's mayor, police chief, business and cranky old man communities -- hates itself some Occupy. The hating officially enters the criminal justice system today, when three Occupy Oaklander protesters will appear in Alameda County ... More >>

Mark Lugo, Picasso Thief and Art Lover, Sent to Jail -- Again

​SF Weekly readers probably haven't forgotten about Mark Lugo, the audacious art aficionado, who swiped a rare and pricy Picasso piece from a San Francisco gallery last year. After spending six months in jail for his crime, he's now facing more time behind bars -- in New York. According to media r ... 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 >>

Thrillhouse Records Burglarized, Benefit Tonight at the Knockout

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 of Amoeba Music, was able to recover some of the ... 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. According t ... More >>

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

​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 it. So Tara wants his bike back ... 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 200-foot ... More >>

Telegraph Hill Burglary Suspect Slides Down Cliff, Walks 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 noises coming from the hillside area and saw ... 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 >>

Muni Rider Mistakenly Accused of Stealing iPhone Released from Jail

​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 robbery, assault, and false imprisonment.O ... 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Bait Car Pays SFPD to Entice Drivers to Steal Cars

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 >>

'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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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, 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 >>

Bike vigilantes: Victims strike back

Alternative Tentacles' 30th anniversary

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

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

Bernal Heights Robbers Work 9-5

A Gem of a Caper

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.

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