A man described as a transient by Piedmont police was arrested for assaulting an Ace Hardware employee with a wrench after attempting to steal the tool at the Grand Avenue store.
The incident was reported at 1:26 p.m. on Dec. 1. The suspect was accused of taking the wrench. When an employee confronted him, he hit the employee with the wrench, according to Lisa Douglas of the Piedmont Police Department. Officers came and arrested the suspect, taking him to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, shoplifting, vandalism, and a probation violation. The employee declined medical treatment, according to the police log.
Two people were arrested after being found in a stolen vehicle on Dec. 3. The city’s Automated License Plate Reader system alerted on a 2004 Toyota Solara at 6:30 a.m. at Somerset Road and Estates Drive. The vehicle was found with a male and female inside. Both subjects were on probation, according to Douglas. She said that a search revealed stolen property, burglary tools, and suspected methamphetamine. The male driver was arrested for auto theft, possession of stolen property, driving without a license, and a probation violation. The female passenger was cited for possession of burglary tools and suspected narcotics. The driver was taken to Santa Rita Jail and the passenger was taken to the MacArthur BART station.
Also on Dec. 3, a man was taken to Santa Rita Jail for auto theft and possession of stolen property. The ALPR system alerted to a silver 2001 Toyota Avalon stolen in Oakland at 5:04 p.m. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle at Grand Avenue and Cambridge Way. The driver and the passenger were detained and the driver was taken to Santa Rita Jail.
On Dec. 5, reports came in of a black Cadillac with no license plate following an Amazon delivery vehicle on Kingston Avenue. Officer arrived and found two suspects attempting to steal a black 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe, according to a post on the Piedmont Police Department Facebook page. They attempted to contact the subjects and the subjects fled in the Cadillac at a high rate of speed. In an attempt to flee, the Cadillac hit another vehicle and eventually collided with a police vehicle on Piedmont Ave. before coming to a stop.
As police detained the two occupants, a female passenger told officers she had a handgun in her waistband, according to the post. A search of the vehicle turned up burglary tools and alleged drug paraphernalia. The male driver and female passenger were taken to Santa Rita Jail. The driver was charged with auto theft, hit and run, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting arrest, according to Douglas. The passenger was charged with auto theft, resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia, and carrying a loaded firearm.
A stolen vehicle was recovered on Vernon Street in Oakland on Dec. 2. The white 2007 Infiniti G35 pinged the ALPR system at 12:51 p.m. at Oakland and Monte Vista avenues. The vehicle was found 12 minutes later, unoccupied, on Vernon Street. It had been reported stolen in Oakland and was towed and stored to be released to its registered owner.
On Dec. 1, a man was arrested for DUI. Police stopped a vehicle at 8:36 p.m. on Manor Drive due to a missing license plate, according to Douglas. She said the odor of marijuana was coming from the vehicle. The driver admitted to smoking marijuana and failed field sobriety tests, according to Douglas. He was taken to Santa Rita Jail for driving under the influence with priors, possession of drug paraphernalia, and disobeying a court order.
Ace Harware is an integral part of the fabric of Piedmont. Some of the employees have been there literally decades; we all know and trust them. That an Ace employee would be attacked is disturbing and I am hopeful the District Attorney takes the perpetrator’s csae to a just conclusion.