Crime and Law

2 Chainz Finally Admits He Was Robbed, Shot At in San Francisco

2 Chainz kept denying to his fans that he had been robbed at gunpoint in San Francisco last week, despite police statements, video footage, and detailed media reports, stating otherwise. But now that the surveillance video showing the robbery went viral, it seems the Atlanta-based rapper had no choi ... More >>

Menace to Society: Appeals Court Reverses Jacori Bender's Felony Conviction

In our October feature story, Menace to Society-- which detailed the way police and prosecutors accuse people of being gang members for easier conviction and grant money-- 21-year-old Jacori Bender got sentenced to four years in prison, for felony gun possession and being a gang member. The gang e ... More >>

Oakland Crooks Totally Undeterred by Security Guards Hired to Protect News Reporters

You know crime has gotten out of control when thieves are not only victimizing news reporters, but also the security guards specifically hired to protect news reporters from would-be thieves. Today another crew of journalists was burglarized during an interview in broad daylight, just a week after ... More >>

Cover of Darkness: S.F. Police Turned a Blind Eye to Some of the City's Most Dangerous Criminals — Who Were Also Some of Their Most Trusted Sources

Awkward Bank Robber Loses Fake Mustache During Holdup

An armed bank robber hoping to pull off his heist incognito managed to draw even more attention to himself when the phony mustache he was wearing started falling off mid-robbery. According to police, the robber walked into a Bank of America on El Camino Real in Burlingame Wednesday afternoon donni ... More >>

Rock Sweet Rock: A Children's History of Alcatraz

Cops Say Happy Donut Shooting Suspect Still on the Lam and Could Be Dying

San Francisco police are asking for your help in locating the man who shot another man inside a Visitaction Valley Happy Donuts earlier this week. Police say it's urgent, as the suspect could be dying from wounds he got during the robbery. On Monday just before 3 a.m., the armed robber walked into ... More >>

Have You Been Robbed by Dudes in A Maroon-Colored Car Lately?

San Francisco police arrested two men, including one teen, last night, who they believe are responsible for two -- and maybe more -- smartphone strong-armed robberies. Police arrested 19-year-old Edwin Tobie and Ernest Evans, 20, both San Francisco residents, on suspicion of robbery, conspiracy, p ... More >>

Jacob Valdiviezo Identified as College Student Killed in Mission District Shooting

The San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office has identified the 19-year-old man who was gunned down while visiting his family over Easter weekend as Jacob Valdiviezo. According to police, Valdiviezo, was home visiting his family over Spring Break when he was shot to death in an apparent gang-relate ... More >>

Dominic Scott Identified as Man Murdered in Bayview Today

Medical authorities have identified the man who was gunned down early this morning in the city's Bayview District as 22-year-old Dominic Scott. According to the Examiner, neighbors called the cops just before 8:30 a.m. after hearing gunshots. When police arrived at the scene, located at Third Stre ... More >>

Cops Bust Alleged Robbers Linked to Violent Jewelry Heist

San Francisco police have nabbed a trio who they say is responsible for a series of robberies, including a gas station and a jewelry store. The three suspects are identified as Arthur Gonzalez, 34, Gary Green, 20, and Socorro Santiago, 18, all of San Francisco. Police say they found a loaded firea ... More >>

James Craig Davis, Berkeley Bank Robbery Suspect, Arrested in Missouri

On January 16, a man holding a gun stole $6,014 from Mechanics Bank in Berkeley. Security camera footage showed the man point the gun at a teller, then lean over the counter and grab the cash from the drawer. The video also caught a distinguishing feature on the robber: what appeared to be a tatto ... More >>

"Identity Thief": Madcap Anti-Capitalist Hijinks

Is William Bratton Getting Too Much Credit for the Crime Reductions He Oversaw?

There was controversy when Oakland announced that it would hire William Bratton -- former police chief in Boston, New York City, and Los Angeles -- to help improve the city's police department. For the most part, the controversy took two forms. Firstly, there was the issue that cash-strapped Oakla ... More >>

Checkmate: Who's Letting Debt Collectors Terrorize Consumers

Even Violent Video Games Are a Healthy Outlet for Teens

Seventy-nine years ago, Germans gathered in Berlin's Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Platz one May evening. They piled the books of Karl Marx, Bertolt Brecht and August Bebel (for whom the plaza would later be renamed), and burned them in the name of eliminating "un-German" ideas. On Jan 12, 2013, a group calle ... More >>

Yoshiaki Nagaya, Japanese Diplomat, Admits to Beating His Wife

The Japanese diplomat based in San Francisco who was accused of beating his wife repeatedly during their two-year-marriage appeared in court today where he reportedly pleaded no contest, which is the same as pleading guilty for felony cases. Yoshiaki Nagaya, 33, was has been charged with two count ... More >>

Ricardo Asturias, S.F. Man Convicted of Sexual Abuse, Gets 16 Years in Prison

A San Francisco judge has given 68-year-old Ricardo Asturias 16 years and 8 months in state prison for sexually abusing a 4-year-old female relative, as well as possessing child pornography. In addition, the judge ordered Asturias to pay $625,000 in restitution for "non-economic damages," marking t ... More >>

Teen Murdered This Weekend in Bayview, Homicide No. 65

Medical authorities have identified the man who was gunned down Saturday night, but would not release his name until family is notified. What we can tell you is that an 18-year-old man was shot at least once while standing on the block of Osceola Lane at about 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Kamala Harris' Lawsuit Against Delta Could Change Privacy Policies for Apps

Last week, California Attorney General Kamala Harris filed a lawsuit against Delta Airlines, claiming that the company's smartphone app violates state law because it does not have a privacy policy. It is somewhat of a landmark legal action: the first time an app maker has faced a privacy suit. It ... More >>

Barred From Freedom: The Lack of Pretrial Detention Stats

Pretrial detention data is limited. There hasn't been much research to quantify specific details or tell a full story. Todd Foglesong and Christopher E. Stone at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government addressed the dearth of pretrial detention stats in a report last year. "Whatever the moti ... More >>

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 >>

Feds Bust 11 Suspects Linked to Largest Meth Seizure in U.S. History

A San Francisco federal grand jury has indicted 11 people on suspicion of possessing and distributing large quantities of narcotics. And when police say "large," they're talking more than 570 pounds of crystal methamphetamine. Federal prosecutors announced the arrests today after cops seized the i ... More >>

Alex Eye Bursch, Oakland Swim Coach, Headed to Prison for Sharing Child Pornography

A former elementary school teacher and youth swim coach was sent to prison yesterday for nearly four years after he was found guilty of sharing child pornography images and videos. Alex Eye Bursch was arrested in 2010 at Los Medanos Elementary School where he was a teacher after a tip led authori ... More >>

Cops Bust Four Men Suspected of Child Pornography

Police arrested four people this morning during a multi-agency sting targeting suspected child pornographers in four San Francisco neighborhoods, including SOMA, the Excelsior, Ocean View, and Visitacion Valley. According to police, more than 100 officers from 23 agencies worked to serve search wa ... More >>

The New Cold War: The Tech World Is Fighting a Costly Battle

Alexander Svidler, S.F Businessman, Off to Prison for Bilking Hospital Out of Millions

Don't do the crime if you don't want to do the time. A San Francisco man was sentenced Monday to 18 months in jail for taking part in a scheme that defrauded a Pasadena hospital out of millions of dollars. As if health care costs weren't high enough. Alexander Svidler, 54, was in cahoots with two ... More >>

Man Shot in the Head, Kid Shot in the Chest Over Another Violent Weekend in S.F.

Separate from the World Series chaos and fires that plagued the city last night, San Francisco had yet another bloody weekend, where multiple people, including a kid, were shot. The first incident happened on Friday about 8 p.m. at the intersection of Keith and Shaftner, where a juvenile female and ... More >>

Jose Escobar Identified as Teen Shot in the Mission District

It was a another violent weekend in San Francisco where two men were killed in separate shooting incidents in the Mission and downtown. Authorities identified one of the victims as 19-year-old Jose Escobar of San Francisco. According to police, Escobar was walking at about 2:45 a.m. on Saturday near ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi Gets Prisoners to Vote

We got a little glimpse of what Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi has been doing now that he's back on the job: registering inmates to vote. And why shouldn't he want this, considering it was San Francisco prisoners who vociferously backed the embattled sheriff during his domestic violence drama that nearly co ... More >>

Damien Ford, James Ross Accused of Series of Armed Robberies

San Francisco police have arrested two men who allegedly committed two back-to-back armed robberies in less than an hour on Saturday.Officer Albie Esparza tells us that about 9 p.m. the two robbers walked into a store on the 200 block of Noe Street -- one was armed with a shotgun, and both men had t ... More >>

MS-13 Becomes First American-Born Street Gang to Be Marked A "Transnational Criminal Organization" by the Feds

Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department officially labeled MS-13 a transnational criminal organization. No other American-born street gang has earned that distinction, which has previously been given to groups like the Yakuza in Japan and the Zetas in Mexico.The classification speaks to the gang's s ... More >>

The Big Veto: Our Governors Hate Inmate Media-Access Bills

Such Great Heists

Accused Bank Robber Attempts to Get Cash, Gets Jail Time Instead

A suspected robber's day at the bank quickly turned into a night in jail after he skillfully demonstrated that he's no Bonnie or Clyde. Around 11:30 a.m. yesterday, the suspect walked into a bank on the 2800 block of Geary Boulevard and told the teller, "This is a robbery, give me all of the money." ... More >>

Gov. Brown Won't Let Reporters Have Easy Access to Prison Inmates

Assembly Bill 1270, passed by both chambers of the state legislature, would have allowed journalists to set up interviews with specific inmates in state prisons. Eight times over the past two decades a similar bill had passed through to the governor's desk, and all eight times it was vetoed.The stre ... More >>

Hiding in Plain Sight: A Homicide Suspect Spent Four Years on the Lam

Crip-less: S.F.'s Dislike of Franchises Extends to Street Gangs

Dylan Lemalie Arrest: Police Track Down Man Accused of Killing Jesus Solis in Broad Daylight

San Francisco homicide investigators caught up with the 20-year-old armed-and dangerous man who they believe is partly responsible for the shooting death of 21-year-old Jesus Solis. On Tuesday, police arrested Dylan Lemalie of San Francisco at the Hall of Justice and charged him with murder. He had ... More >>

Larry Brinkin, S.F. Gay Rights Activist, Charged With E-Mailing Child Porn Images

Larry Brinkin, San Francisco's well-known gay rights activist, appeared in court this afternoon where he pleaded not guilty to six felony charges of sending and receiving images of child pornography.The charges came three months after Brinkin, 66, was first arrested by San Francisco police, who clai ... More >>

Police Arrest "Tall Guy, Short Guy" in Connection to 11 Robberies

San Francisco police tracked down the two guys -- one tall, one short -- who they say are responsible for holding up a slew of restaurants, phones stores, and even a hot tub business over the last month. Officer Carlos Manfredi says police arrested 40-year-old Ray Faar, of San Francisco, and 48-year ... More >>

Jesse W. Nesbitt, Accused Brick Tosser, Is Missing Occupy's Birthday Due to Court Date

While the rest of his casserole-eating cohorts march through the streets of San Francisco today to observe Occupy's first birthday, 34-year-old Jesse W. Nesbitt, the perpetual object-tosser at Occupy protests, has been forced to decline that party invite. Instead, the barbaric protester will spend t ... More >>

Californians Don't Hate Each Other as Much as They Used To

Well, this might help explain last year's mass exodus to Texas.The California Attorney General's Office released some uplifting stats that show Californians have less hostility -- or at least they're not acting on it -- than in previous years. The AG welcomed the numbers which show an over ... More >>

Endorse the Federal Narcotics Price Support Program and Other Drug War Euphemisms

To win a war, one must win the minds of the people (unless one chooses to vaporize said minds with a superweapon instead).So the next time you step over a crack-addled soul sprawled out on a Tenderloin sidewalk or dodge a gang of teenagers trying to sell you weed at the Stanyan Street entrance to Go ... More >>

Jonathan Bullock Killed in Lower Pac Heights Shooting

Medical authorities have identified the 38-year-old man who was shot to death over Labor Day weekend as Jonathan Bullock of San Francisco. Officer Gordon Shyy says Bullock was on the 1500 block of Broderick at about 4:20 a.m. on Saturday when two men fired multiple shots at the victim. The suspects ... More >>

Cops Arrest Men Wanted for Serial Robberies in the Richmond District

Richmond District businesses can relax a little now that police have busted the men they say are responsible for a slew of heists, including a restaurant and a jewelry store. Sgt. Michael Andraychak says police arrested a 50-year-old man, a 48-year-old man, and a 23-year-old man on suspicion of robb ... More >>

Continental Airlines Allegedly Humilates Gay Couple With Dildo

A gay couple has accused Continental Airlines employees of making their trip home less than satisfying, using the couple's own private dildo.  Christopher Bridgeman and Martin Borger filed a lawsuit against United Continental Holdings and Continental Airlines in Harris County Court this week, c ... More >>

Cops Bust Armed Robbers Red-Handed in Mission District

What are the chances that someone robbed in San Francisco will actually get their stuff back? Today we bring you another story of hardworking San Franciscans who actually got their money back after they were robbed by a trio in the Mission District.On Aug. 22, about 12:02 a.m., the victims -- a 22-y ... More >>

Jacori Bender's Gang Validation Sheet

Jacori Bender -- the now-21-year-old subject in this week's feature story, "Menace to Society" -- became a validated gang member in spring 2011 when a jury convicted him of gun possession and active participation in a criminal street gang (the "gang enhancement").The bulk of evidence for the ga ... More >>

Bifurcated Trials Offer an Alternative in Gang Enhancement Cases

This week's feature, Menace to Society, explores the way police officers and prosecutors label teenagers "gang members" and classify their crimes as "gang related." As a result, these defendants -- such as the story's main subject, Jacori Bender -- face "gang enhancement" charges. Gang enhancements ... More >>