Resident tip leads to arrests
Two people were arrested on the morning of Oct. 29 after a neighbor reported seeing them breaking into vehicles and removing property on Blair Avenue.
The report came in just after 5 a.m., according to Piedmont Police Captain Chris Monahan. Officers found the suspect vehicle, a red Toyota Carolla, and pulled it over. According to Captain Monahan, the two suspects had open cuts on their hands, were covered in glass and had window punch tools. He said there were wallets, glasses, backpacks and bags in their vehicle.
“Items in plain view displayed names and addresses belonging to other residents in Piedmont,” Captain Monahan said. He said the department contacted the residents and they confirmed their vehicles had been broken into. Vehicles associated with the suspects were on Blair as well as Hardwick and Dracena avenues.
The two suspects were arrested. One is a 20-year old, the other a juvenile.
On Oct. 23, two residents came home and found two suspects running out of a house on Boulevard Way. A mother and her daughter came home at approximately 2 p.m. and found the front door ajar, according to Captain Monahan. When they opened the door, the two suspects ran out and departed in a black two-door Chevrolet Corvette, model year between 1997-2004. The vehicle had a fake license plate written with a sharpie, Captain Monahan said.
The reported loss is a wallet containing credit and debit cards, a red leather check case, a colorful tribal pouch, a kids toy box containing about $300 in savings, and a wooden jewelry box including spare keys. The front door hardware was damaged with a reported value of about $676 plus tax.
On Oct. 23, police pursued a vehicle reported to have multiple people in it, one with an AR-15-style rifle. San Francisco police were chasing the white 2016 Honda Accord with no license plates, according to Captain Monahan. At 3:57 a.m., he said Piedmont officers observed a white Honda Accord with no plates traveling at a high rate of speed on Wildwood Avenue. Shortly thereafter, Piedmont dispatch was advised of the suspect vehicle according to Captain Monahan.
Piedmont police then found the vehicle at Park Way and Pala Avenue. Captain Monahan said a pursuit was authorized and Piedmont police followed the vehicle for about 2½ miles to 51st Street and Highway 24 where the vehicle got away.
On Oct. 19, a black 2016 Honda Pilot was stolen from Nova Drive. The vehicle was taken at 3:55 a.m. The vehicle is valued at $35,000. Suspect vehicle is a black 2018 Honda Accord that was also reported stolen, Captain Monahan said.
On Oct. 18, the city’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system reported a hit on a 2004 Toyota Prius at Grand and Wildwood avenues at 6:32 p.m. The vehicle was involved in a previous hit-and-run, according to Captain Monahan. The vehicle was found by police at Montgomery Street and Pleasant Valley Avenue shortly thereafter. The vehicle’s registration was expired and no insurance records could be found, according to Captain Monahan. The driver said the vehicle belonged to a friend.
The car was impounded and the driver was cited for driving without a license, the expired registration and not having insurance.