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Source: MedleyStory
The search for more human remains in what appears to be a mass grave used by two men known as the "Speed Freak Killers" was suspended because of rain Monday, a day after authorities unearthed hundreds of bone fragments.
The grisly discoveries were made at an old well near the rural Northern California town of Linden. Death row inmate Wesley Shermantine had claimed the well could hold 10 or more victims from a killing spree during the 1980s and 90s.
Along with bones, searchers dug out clothes, a purse and jewelry, on Sunday. The items were found 45 feet deep in the well on an abandoned cattle ranch, San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department spokesman Les Garcia said in a statement.
Investigators, public works employees and volunteers have found more than 300 human bones and had planned to resume the search Monday, Garcia said.
Searchers will resume digging and sifting through the dirt and cataloguing their finds Tuesday, weather permitting, he said. The search is going at a "slow and tedious" pace and is expected to last several more days, Garcia said.
Meanwhile, the sheriff's department has set up a telephone hotline -- 209-468-5087 -- for people who suspect their loved ones fell prey to the killers.
Investigators can also be emailed at coldcase@sjgov.org. The department on Monday asked that email messages include names, phone numbers, the name of the missing person and case number.
Sunday marked the fourth straight day that remains were found with the help of a map prepared by Shermantine, who along with childhood friend Loren Herzog became known as the "Speed Freak Killers" after their arrests in 1999. The map led to burial locations in San Joaquin and Calaveras counties.
Shermantine was convicted of four murders and sentenced to death.
Herzog was convicted of three murders and sentenced to 77 years to life in prison, though that was later reduced to 14 years. An appeals court tossed his first-degree murder convictions after ruling his confession was illegally obtained.
Herzog was paroled in 2010 to a trailer outside the High Desert State Prison in Susanville. He committed suicide outside that trailer last month after Sacramento bounty hunter Leonard Padilla told him Shermantine was disclosing the location of the well along with two other locations.
A piece of a human skull and bones found Saturday at the San Joaquin County well will be sent to the U.S. Department of Justice in the hopes of identifying them through DNA testing, Garcia said.
Dental records identified remains found Thursday in Calaveras County, near property once owned by Shermantine's family, as those of 25-year-old Cyndi Vanderheiden, who disappeared in 1998.
Another set of remains was found Friday in the same area, and the parents of 16-year-old Chevelle "Chevy" Wheeler, who disappeared in 1985, said authorities told them that's where their daughter was believed to be buried. Paula Wheeler also said investigators told her the remains were clad in the same clothes she remembers seeing her daughter wearing the day she disappeared.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:44:25 -0800
Occupy Oakland protesters sought to draw connections between police actions at recent demonstrations and what they say is a history of misconduct by the department at a forum held at the Grand Lake Theater on Thursday.
Protesters gathered at the theater near Lake Merritt for Occupy Oakland's "Citizen Police Review Board" event, which was organized after a meeting by the city's official police review board on recent protests was canceled.
One topic of discussion was the threat of the Oakland Police Department being placed under court-ordered federal receivership because of delays in making reforms required by a 2003 class action settlement.
In that case, a group of 119 Oakland residents had alleged that a number of police officers who called themselves "the Riders" made false arrests, beat suspects and planted evidence, among other abuses.
The deadline for implementing the reforms was initially 2008, and was later extended to 2010 -- but 10 of the 51 required changes still have not been made.
U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson last month gave a court-appointed monitor more power over the Police Department and said he would not rule out receivership if the reforms weren't implemented.
Jim Chanin, one of the attorneys who represented the plaintiffs in the Riders case, spoke at Thursday's Occupy event, saying that if he does not see major reforms by the department this year, he will press the judge to place the department under federal control.
"It's taken too long," Chanin said. "We're going to move for receivership if there's not a radical improvement in this calendar year."
Chanin said the department appears to be unable to accomplish the reforms on its own.
"They really don't have very good perceptive powers about what they can do themselves," he said.
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and Police Chief Howard Jordan released a statement last month saying there would be "swift and decisive action" to implement the reforms.
"We are committed to taking action and making demonstrable progress on the reforms necessary to ensure that we meet our collective goal," Quan and Howard said in a statement.
Chanin also compared the recent clashes with protesters to an April 1, 2003, protest at the Port of Oakland at which police fired less-then-lethal weapons on protesters attempting to disrupt the operations of two shippers with government contracts related to the Iraq War.
He said that after the 2003 protest, he helped draft a new crowd-control policy for Oakland police with the American Civil Liberties Union. He read from that policy during Thursday's event, and charged that police had repeatedly violated it during Occupy Oakland demonstrations.
"Not only was there no medical aid on site, in some cases people who tried to give medical aid were themselves gassed by police," Chanin said.
Following Chanin's talk, Occupy Oakland protester and citizen journalist Spencer Mills, who streams protests online, played video clips to show instances of when he said officers violated the crowd-control policy.
Among the clips was footage of tear gas and smoke grenades being fired on crowds on Oct. 25, including at protesters attempting to help a wounded demonstrator on the ground. There was footage of police using batons on protesters on the ground and firing a beanbag round at a demonstrator filming police.
"The goal here is not to demonize the police," Mills said.
He alleged, however, that Oakland police have shown a lack of control.
Mills has also been a vocal critic of violence coming from protesters, and has shouted on his streams at protesters throwing bottles, denouncing them as "cowards."
Protesters have been violent toward police on a number of occasions, including during a Jan. 28 demonstration in which the Police Department claimed its officers were pelted with bottles, metal pipe, rocks and other objects. That same day, a group broke into and vandalized City Hall. Hundreds were arrested.
Before Mills spoke, Stan Oden, a professor at Sacramento State University and a former Black Panther, drew connections between protests today and those in the 1960s.
Patrick Caceras, assistant to the city administrator, appeared on behalf of the city of Oakland and the official Citizens Police Review Board, and told the crowd that, given recent developments, the review board forum had needed to be postponed.
Caceras said the forum would be rescheduled, but that new considerations came up after the Jan. 28 demonstration. For example, he said, prosecutors sought stay-away orders to prevent protesters who were arrested that day from returning to Frank Ogawa Plaza, and because of that they would not have been able to legally attend any meeting at City Hall.
He said the city is looking to find a venue that will allow everyone to attend, and to focus on more recent protests as well as demonstrations on Oct. 25 and Nov. 2.
Police Chief Howard Jordan was invited by protesters for a question-and-answer session, but did not attend Thursday's meeting.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:54:13 -0800
A man was stabbed by someone trying to sell him marijuana in San Francisco's Lower Nob Hill neighborhood early Sunday morning, police said.
The stabbing was reported at 3:18 a.m. Sunday near Bush and Larkin streets.
Police said that when the 27-year-old victim declined the marijuana offer, the suspect pulled out a knife and stabbed him once in the side, according to police.
The suspect, a man in his 20s, fled and remains at large.
The victim was taken to San Francisco General Hospital to be treated for his injuries, which are not considered life-threatening.
Anyone with information about the stabbing is encouraged to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:07:03 -0800
Sikh community leaders have told the U.S. Attorney in San Francisco that they face workplace discrimination and hate.
Sikhs, a religion often confused with Islam, told U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag on Sunday that they constantly struggle with discrimination and bigotry.
The Contra Costa Times says Haag's visit to the Sikh Center in El Sobrante was designed to assure them the federal government is ready to respond to reports ranging from hate crimes to identity theft.
Haag was told Sikh's face severe workplace discrimination and there was concern the FBI doesn't specifically track anti-Sikh hate crimes, lumping them in with anti-Muslim crimes.
Haag promised to discuss the concerns with FBI officials.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:30:39 -0800
Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes and the Oakland Athletics have agreed to a $36 million, four-year contract.
Agent Adam Katz confirmed Monday the outfielder had reached agreement on a deal, with details still to be finalized. This is a significant move for Oakland, which now has the steady hitter it sought to boost the roster heading into 2012.
Cespedes will earn $9 million per season. He can become a free agent at the end of the contract.
The team also has expressed interest in slugger Manny Ramirez.
The A's, hoping to be given clearance from Major League Baseball to relocate to San Jose and construct a new ballpark, have been in rebuilding mode this winter. Oakland traded starting pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill and also All-Star closer Andrew Bailey.
Cespedes toured the Miami Marlins' new downtown ballpark last Wednesday, and appeared to have other suitors, as well.
In a surprising move, it was the A's who made a splash and outbid some big-spending clubs.
Cespedes played for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and is projected to be ready for the majors. Cespedes said six teams were interested in signing him: the Marlins, Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland and the Chicago Cubs and White Sox.
Major League Baseball has said it has been told Cespedes' agent that he has obtained an unblocking license from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Yahoo! Sports first reported the agreement.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:02:26 -0800
Hayward police discovered a body after responding to reports of gunshots Monday morning.
Police received several calls at 4:27 a.m. from people who had heardthe gunshots in the area of the 22000 block of Seventh Street.
Officers arrived and found an unresponsive man in his early to mid-20s, police said. Medical personnel from the Hayward Fire Department pronounced the man dead at the scene, police said.
Police are still investigating a motive and interviewing witnesses.
They're hoping to get a description of the suspect and a better idea of his vehicle.
"A vehicle was seen leaving at a high rate of speed,” said Hayward police Lt. Roger Keener. “It is our presumption that at about 4:30 a.m. that was the suspect leaving the area."
Police said they know the car is red.
Police added that the victim is a Livermore resident and he just started staying at this home recently.
Residents described the neighborhood as a place where families know each other well.
One neighbor said he was very concerned because his kids go out and play and as neighbors they sometimes barbecue.
Lynn Linnen, another neighbor told KTVU there have been a lot of problems with the home where the man's body was found.
"It's just a lot of vagrancy,” she said.
Anyone with information about the death is asked to call Inspector R. Lampkin at (510) 293-7079, Inspector G. Jakub (510) 293-7081, or Hayward police at (510) 293-7000.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:48:36 -0800
Backers of affirmative action asked a federal appeals court Monday to overturn California's 15-year-old ban on considering race in public college admissions, citing a steep drop in black, Latino and Native American students at the state's elite campuses.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeal heard arguments in the latest legal challenge to Proposition 209, the landmark voter initiative that barred racial, ethnic and gender preferences in public education, employment and contracting.
The affirmative action ban has withstood multiple challenges since voters approved it in 1996, but advocates say their campaign to overturn it has been bolstered by recent court decisions, as well as support from Gov. Jerry Brown.
Dozens of minority students backing the plaintiffs filled the courtroom for the hour-long hearing, when the justices questioned whether they should tamper with a 1997 ruling in which the same appellate court upheld Proposition 209.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs said affirmative action is needed to increase racial diversity at the University of California's most prestigious campuses and professional schools.
"What you see before you is a new form of separate and unequal going on right before our eyes," plaintiffs' attorney George Washington told the three male justices.
Ralph Kasarda, who is defending Proposition 209, told the justices that the San Francisco-based appellate court was correct when it upheld the affirmative action ban.
"Proposition 209 guarantees everyone's right to be treated fairly and not be discriminated against based on skin color or gender," said Kasarda, an attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, which represented the sponsors of the 1996 ballot measure.
The complaint was filed in January 2010 by several dozen minority students and advocacy groups who say the ban violates the civil rights of black, Latino and Native American students. Those groups make up about half of California's high school graduates, but much smaller percentages at UC's most competitive campuses.
For example, at UC Berkeley, the current freshmen class of California residents is roughly 1 percent Native American, 3.5 percent black, 15 percent Latino, 30 percent white and 48 percent Asian, according to UC data.
"As a state-serving institution, the university should reflect the demographics of California, and right now it doesn't," Magali Flores, 20, a third-year Latina student majoring in ethnic studies at UC Berkeley. "Prop. 209 wants to pretend that race isn't real."
The court agreed to hear the case after U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti dismissed the lawsuit in December 2010. The California Supreme Court has twice ruled that Proposition 209 is constitutional.
Advocates say justices need to reconsider in light of recent court rulings on the issue.
In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the University of Michigan Law School could consider race in admissions decisions to promote campus diversity.
Last year, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals cited that ruling when it overturned Michigan's affirmative action ban. The full appellate court has agreed to reconsider the case.
Brown joined the plaintiffs in arguing the affirmative action ban is unconstitutional.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:38:07 -0800
Stormy weather forced authorities to halt their excavation operation for the day at an abandoned cattle ranch near Linden Monday – a gruesome search that has already unearthed skull fragments and other human remains, along with clothes, a purse and jewelry.
The search has focused on the site of an old well where a convicted serial killer claims the remains of 10 or more victims have been buried.
The remains and other items were found 45 feet deep in the well on an abandoned the cattle ranch, San Joaquin County sheriff's spokesman Deputy Les Garcia said in a statement.
After two days of searching the site, investigators, public works employees and volunteers have found more than 300 human bones, Garcia said.
Sunday marked the fourth straight day that remains have been found with the help of a map prepared by death row inmate Wesley Shermantine. He and childhood friend Loren Herzog became known as the "Speed Freak Killers" for a methamphetamine-fueled killing spree that had as many as 15 victims.
A piece of a human skull and bones found Saturday at the ranch will be sent to the Department of Justice in the hopes of identifying them through DNA testing, Garcia said. Dental records identified remains found Thursday in Calaveras County as those of 25-year-old Cyndi Vanderheiden, who disappeared in 1988.
Another set of remains were found Friday in the same area, and the parents of a missing 16-year-old girl have said authorities told them that Shermantine said their daughter was buried in that spot decades ago.
Shermantine was convicted of four murders and sentenced to death. Herzog was convicted of three murders and sentenced to 77 years to life in prison, though that was later reduced to 14 years. An appeals court tossed his first-degree murder convictions after ruling his confession was illegally obtained.
Herzog was paroled in 2010 to a trailer outside the High Desert State Prison in Susanville. He committed suicide outside that trailer last month after Sacramento bounty hunter Leonard Padilla told him Shermantine was disclosing the location of the well along with two other locations.
Crews are expected to be searching the ranch in Linden for several days, at what Garcia has said would be a "slow and tedious" pace. The property, about 60 miles south of Sacramento, was once owned by Shermantine's family.
Published: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:28:16 -0800
Nothing seems to come easy for the city of Oakland.
Even the movement to recall embattled Mayor Jean Quan has split into two groups that are now fighting each other as well as City Hall.
Behind the drama is the battle for power, money and the future of a city that just can't seem to get out of its own way.
Sue Graham is the wife of a PG&E worker, a mother of two teenage children and a once proud resident of Oakland – but that's changed in recent months.
Graham still lives in the city, but after her encounter with Mayor Jean Quan at a local supermarket her pride in Oakland lessened.
"I looked down the aisle and there was the mayor of Oakland," Graham said. "I thought about it and I walked right up to her and said 'I don't think you're doing a good job. Her response was, 'I raised my children here, I think it's perfectly fine and if you don't like it, move.'"
Quan declined to comment and she is not without her supporters.
Even the recall movement is divided, fighting each other with two separate, but almost identical petitions.
Gene Hazzard is a well-known political activist in Oakland. He objects to the second recall petition headed by retired Oakland businessman Greg Harland.
"I didn't split," Hazzman said. "They split. Greg Harland is intending to run for mayor. I think that's disingenuous. I'm interested in getting Quan out. That's the single focus. She is toxic to this community. She is a public safety threat."
Harland, who now operates the Oakland Food Pantry adamantly declared he's not planning to run for mayor. Harland said Hazzard's petition is flawed and could be vulnerable to a legal challenge by Quan.
One issue most agree on is that money will be key to a recall campaign, which would likely cost at least $30,000 to get the measure on the November ballot.
"I think that we're more than half way there," Harland said.
But some wonder where the money will come from.
Gary Rogers, former owner of Oakland-based Dreyer's Ice Cream, has been quietly active in Oakland civic affairs for decades. Insiders say Rogers is able to quickly help raise any money that might be needed for a recall campaign.
"I feel sorry for Jean Quan," Rogers said. "I didn't support her in the election. I supported Don Perata. Don would have been a stronger mayor. I think she's been ineffective."
Rogers said the dire circumstances Oakland finds itself in will probably make it easy to raise money for a successful recall campaign, but finding a qualified candidate to run for the office is the real struggle.
Rogers said he has no plans to run for Mayor.
"Gary Rogers is a has-been," Rogers said. "I'm 69-years-old. My schedule is full."
Some observers say for the recall campaign to successfully dethrone Quan, a shiny substitute candidate needs to emerge.
But so far, none have emerged.
KTVU called Tom Hanks, who graduated from Oakland's Skyline High School in 1974, to see if he had an interest in running.
Calls placed to Hanks, who moved from Oakland almost four decades ago and now lives in a $26 million estate in the Pacific Palisades, were not returned.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:32:59 -0800
A man was in the hospitalized Sunday after he was shot in the shoulder while Solano County sheriff's deputies said he tried to grab a firearm from one of their deputies.
The man was arrested about 1:15 p.m., about a half-a-mile away from the shooting scene in Vallejo.
The man allegedly tried to take the firearm gun from one of their deputies as they were serving an arrest warrant to another man on Pine Street.
Deputies said the man who was shot fled after the shooting and in the process backed his car into patrol car.
Deputies said it turns out the man who was shot had felony arrest warrants.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:16:59 -0800
A San Francisco man was shot in the back while standing outside in the Hunters Point area Sunday morning, according to police.
The victim, a 19-year-old San Francisco male, was shot around 9:10 a.m., Sgt. Michael Andraychak said.
He told police he was standing outside on the first block of Harbor Road when an unknown armed suspect approached him. The victim ran, but was shot in the back.
The suspect fled the scene and no description was available, Andraychak said.
The victim suffered non life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
The incident is being investigated by the gang task force.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Anonymous Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to "TIP411" and include "SFPD" in the subject line.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:47:21 -0800
Alex Pietrangelo had two goals, David Perron also scored with a two-man advantage and Andy McDonald added an assist in his return from a concussion that sidelined him for 51 games, sending the St. Louis Blues to a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night.
Jaroslav Halak earned his sixth shutout in just 10 starts, one more than All-Star teammate Brian Elliott has, as the Blues extended a franchise record by earning at least one point in 19 consecutive home games. They're 16-0-3 at home since a 5-2 loss to Chicago on Dec. 3 and an NHL-best 24-3-4 overall, topping their total of 23 wins last season.
Antti Niemi made 25 saves for the Pacific Division-leading Sharks, who came up empty in the opener of a season-long, nine-game trip. San Jose, which next plays at home Feb. 28 against the Flyers, has lost three of four overall.
The Sharks were 0 for 4 on the power play after going 7 for 14 in the previous four games.
Halak was yanked from his previous start, a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils. But he is 13-2-3 in his last 19 starts since Nov. 29 and his 1.66 goals-against average during that time and prior to Sunday was the NHL's best.
Perron has six goals in the last four games, the last three on the power play, and 10 goals in 30 games overall. He returned in early December from a concussion sustained on a mid-ice hit by the Sharks' Joe Thornton that knocked him out for more than a year.
The Blues immediately plugged McDonald into the regular rotation plus power-play duty, and he added an element of speed to the lineup. McDonald earned the second assist on Pietrangelo's goal.
The Blues have four power-play goals in the last two games after entering the weekend in a 2-for-35 slump.
St. Louis is 3-0 against the Sharks this season, outscoring them 7-2 including a 1-0 shutout by Elliott on Dec. 10 in St. Louis. It's the Sharks' first three-game losing streak against the Blues since dropping five in a row Jan. 9 to Dec. 18, 2003.
The Sharks were whistled for three penalties in a span of 3 minutes and Pietrangelo capitalized with his ninth goal on a two-man advantage at 15:03 of the first. San Jose was outshot 10-7 in the period, managing just three shots in the last 15 minutes.
Ryan Clowe and Brad Winchester drew tripping and elbowing penalties in the second period, respectively, and it cost the Sharks again. Perron whiffed on a rebound attempt from the side of the net but got a second chance when the puck deflected off Niemmi's back, and he slipped in a backhander.
Pietrangelo added an empty-net goal with 5.9 seconds to go, shooting from in front of the St. Louis net.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:07:34 -0800
A Los Altos man was found hiding in some bushes and arrested in the city last week after a burglary prompted a manhunt.
Officers responded to a 911 call reporting an interrupted home burglary in the 1400 block of Brookmill Road at about 3:10 a.m. on Thursday morning, according to Los Altos police.
Responding officers immediately set up a perimeter and called in a police K-9 team to conduct a search, police said.
Jesse Steele Mitchell, 22, was found in about 20 minutes hiding in some shrubbery less that 40 yards from the victim's home, according to police.
Officers searched Mitchell's vehicle and allegedly found property that had been stolen from a home in the 2000 block of El Sereno as well as from the victim's home on Brookmill Road, police said.
An unloaded revolver and marijuana was also found in the suspect's car, police said.
Mitchell was arrested and booked into Santa Clara County Jail on two counts of residential burglary, possession of stolen property, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of an unregistered firearm.
He remains in custody without bail.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:32:33 -0800
A suspected drunk driver was arrested in Rohnert Park early Saturday morning after he crashed his mother's car into a home in a mobile home park, police said.
Officers responded to a report of a vehicle collision in the Rancho Feliz Mobile Home Park at about 1:45 a.m., according to Rohnert Park police.
The reporting party said the driver fled the scene and then returned.
Arriving officers found a Saturn station wagon with no license plates that had crashed its entire front end under a raised doublewide trailer, police said.
The driver, Jose Guadalupe Ayala, 28, allegedly told police he was trying to light a cigarette when he swerved and struck the mobile home, police said.
Officers conducted field sobriety tests and determined Ayala was driving with a blood alcohol content of nearly twice the legal limit, according to police.
A quick investigation revealed that Ayala appeared to have removed the vehicle license plates and registration information and thrown it over a nearby fence.
The suspect allegedly told police he had tried to hide the paperwork so he could leave the car there and no one would be able to figure out that it belonged to his mother, police said.
One resident who was in the mobile home at the time of the crash complained of neck pain, and Ayala suffered bruises on his chest and shoulder.
The home was determined to be safe to live in and Ayala's mother's heavily damaged car was towed out from under the house.
Ayala was booked into Sonoma County Jail for DUI.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:49:09 -0800
Firefighters in Daly City rescued a paraglider stranded on a cliffside in the area of Mussel Rock on Saturday, fire officials said.
Rescue crews responded to the area shortly before 3 p.m.
The man was trapped 150 feet below the bluff. Fire crews used a picket system to get down the cliff to the man, and evaluated him for injury.
He was carried back up to the bluff and transported by ambulance to San Francisco General Hospital for further evaluation.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:46:21 -0800
Gilroy police are searching for two suspects who stole a man's car and forced him to ride with them before they dropped him off on the side of a highway in Monterey County on Saturday, police said.
Between 3 and 4 p.m., the 30-year-old man was sitting in his car in the parking lot of a business in the 7600 block of Monterey Street in Gilroy.
Two men armed with handguns approached him and took his cash. One of the men got into the car and ordered the man at gunpoint to drive away.
After driving about a mile, the victim was ordered to pull over near the intersection of East 10th Street and U.S. Highway 101.
The other robber arrived in a black car and the victim was ordered to get into the back seat of his own car.
The second man got into the car and the three drove onto the highway heading south to an unincorporated area of Monterey County, where the victim was dropped off on the side of the road.
The car was found abandoned nearby at the intersection of Highway 101 and Sanborn Road in Salinas.
The suspects were described as two white men, between 23 and 24-years-old, both about 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighing about 140 pounds. Both were wearing dark hooded sweatshirts and carrying guns, police said.
A third suspect is believed to have been involved, and may have been driving the car used by the suspects.
The victim was uninjured in the incident, police said.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:43:36 -0800
Two were arrested when several protesters attempted to interfere with a traffic stop during a mostly peaceful anti-police march in Oakland Saturday night, police said.
Around 50 people gathered in Frank Ogawa Plaza at around 9 p.m. and marched through the streets of downtown and West Oakland, police said.
Motorcycle officers blocked and diverted vehicle traffic to facilitate the march, police said, and the protest proceeded peacefully.
At around 11 p.m., about 30 protesters remained at the plaza, and gathered around a California Highway Patrol officer making a traffic stop at the corner of 14th Street and Clay Street.
Protesters angrily shouted at the officer, police said, and Oakland police approached the crowd to ensure the CHP officer's safety.
The CHP officer sent the driver to another location to complete the traffic stop, and Oakland police said they were leaving the area when one female protester kicked a sergeant in the leg and kicked a police car.
As police were arresting her, another protester attempted to pull her away from the arresting officers and was also arrested, police said.
During the confrontation, another protester struck the sergeant in the head with a protest sign and fled, avoiding arrest.
No one was injured in the incident, police said.
Anti-police marches have been held weekly on Saturday nights in Oakland since the beginning of the year, in response to what Occupy Oakland protesters call continued police harassment and brutality at protest events.
Organizers have called for a "diversity of tactics" at the marches, asking attending protesters not to interfere if other protesters break the law by damaging police and media property, barricading streets or starting fires.
More recently, protesters attending have been asked not to interfere with the actions of other protesters, but the announcements have not called specifically for property destruction or violence.
Oakland police said they attempted a less confrontational strategy at this march, maintaining a minimal presence but observing the marches and being able to react if needed.
Despite the confrontational rhetoric of the anti-police marches, only the first, held on Jan. 8, resulted in large clashes with police and since then the actions have been mostly peaceful.
However, an Occupy Oakland action on Jan. 28 did result in the arrest of over 400 participants and clashes between police and protesters throughout the day. That action was intended to take over a vacant building and turn it into a community center and was not specifically anti-police.
This week, anti-police protests also spread to San Francisco, where a similar march wound through downtown on Friday night. At least one protester was arrested during the march, and police said a car's window was smashed but the driver left the scene.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:35:16 -0800
El Cerrito's first police dog has died following a sudden illness, police announced.
Police K-9 King began showing signs of physical distress on Friday while he was off duty and was taken to a veterinarian by his partner, Officer Joshua Del Prado, police said.
A surgery determined that King had suffered a "catastrophic and unavoidable internal malady" that could not be repaired or survived, police said. King died with Del Prado and other members of the department by his side.
Hired in late 2010, King was the first Police K-9 in the department's history.
Purchased with funds raised by the community and the El Cerrito Police Employees Association, he assisted in calls including the successful search for a missing elderly Alzheimer's patient and the pursuit of a fleeing suspect who hid under a vehicle.
King also participated in local safety fairs and community events.
No memorial events are planned, but condolences from the community are welcome, police said.
Published: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:37:15 -0800
Police in Santa Rosa are investigating a Friday night shooting that apparently occurred during a drug deal.
Officers responded to a report of a shooting around 11:35 p.m. Friday in the 1000 block of Bellevue Avenue and found Fairfield resident Denzel Simmons, 20, suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg.
Simmons told police he had been smoking a cigarette outside a relative's apartment there when he was suddenly shot.
He was taken to a nearby hospital.
About 15 minutes later, police responded to a home on Cornell Drive where 21-year-old Savon Cleveland, and Frank Kobrin, 22, reported involvement in a shooting with a man who put a gun to Cleveland's face.
After interviewing the three men, detectives determined that Cleveland and Kobrin allegedly met with Simmons to buy some marijuana.
Simmons allegedly pulled a gun on Cleveland and tried to rob him, prompting Kobrin to shoot the Fairfield man in the leg.
Police continue to investigate the shooting and have not made any arrests.
Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to call the Santa Rosa Police Department at (707) 543-3590.
Published: Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:31:35 -0800
A 17-year-old alleged gang member was arrested by San Mateo County sheriff's detectives Friday morning in connection with the January stabbing of four people outside a wedding in Half Moon Bay, according to the sheriff's office.
The stabbing occurred on Main Street outside the I.D.E.S. Hall at about 11:20 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28.
Four men in their 20s were leaving a wedding reception at the hall when they were approached by a group of male suspects and stabbed by at least one of the suspects.
All four victims were transported to a hospital for treatment and were released.
The sheriff's office said that potential suspects were identified as young men affiliated with the Media Luna Norte -- or Half Moon North -- gang.
The juvenile, who lives in the Half Moon Bay area, was arrested at about 10:30 a.m. Friday. He was booked into the San Mateo County Youth Services Center.
As of Saturday, the case was going to be forwarded to the county district attorney's office for prosecution.
Published: Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:54:32 -0800
BayPointCalifornia.com
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