Suspect ran off with tool set when confronted
A Piedmont resident was victimized after someone tried to use “fake money” to purchase a tool set, according to the Piedmont Police Department.
The incident happened on June 3. The resident had offered a Milwaukee Garden Tool set on Facebook Marketplace for $400. The suspect contacted the victim and agreed to meet at the residence to exchange the cash for the tool set.
At 4:05 p.m., the suspect arrived at the house. They made the exchange but the resident “quickly realized the money was ‘fake money,’” according to Piedmont Police Capt. Chris Monahan. The victim confronted the suspect and the suspect grabbed the tool set and fled.
When asked if the money was counterfeit, Monahan said fake money was a better term. He added that the Secret Service is helping on the case.
The suspect fled in a black BMW 4-door and was described as a white male, six feet tall, with a sleeve tattoo.
A bicyclist was arrested on June 5 after refusing to stop when ordered to by a Piedmont Police officer and then resisting arrest, according to Monahan. The incident began at 4:24 a.m. on Grand Avenue. The officer conducted a traffic stop and the suspect rode off after refusing to identify himself.
According to Monahan, “He was given multiple verbal orders to stop and comply, but he refused and continued to ride his bike.”
After about eight minutes, the bicyclist was detained on Lakeshore Avenue. Per Monahan, the suspect resisted while being placed in handcuffs. A records check found a warrant out of Emeryville for harassing phone calls.
The suspect was taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin where, according to Monahan, he resisted being taken to the intake area. A physical confrontation followed involving a San Leandro officer, according to Monahan. The suspect was eventually booked for the warrant, a probation violation, assaulting officers, and resisting arrest.
On June 9, a hit on a white 2006 Lexus RX330 by the city’s Automated License Plate Reader system came in at 8:39 a.m. near Olive and Oakland avenues. Officers conducted a traffic stop on Grand. Two people and a dog were in the vehicle, which had been reported stolen from Oakland. Upon a records check, officers found the passenger had a stay away order on the driver.
The driver was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle and a probation violation. The passenger was arrested for lying about their name and a probation violation. Both suspects were taken to Santa Rita Jail. The dog was taken to the animal shelter. According to the police log, the dog had a different registered owner, who was contacted.
On June 9, the ALPR system reported a hit on a black 2013 Hyundai Sonata. Officers found the vehicle on Moraga Avenue stopped near a Prius with a jack under it and a suspect attempting to cut a catalytic converter, according to Monahan. The suspect returned to the vehicle and fled at a “high rate of speed.” The catalytic converter in the Prius had not been cut. “Thankfully, one prevented,” Monahan said.
Officers were able to recover the jack and several tools left behind by the suspect.