Recently I signed up for the daily dispatch from Captain Paul Chignell of the Taraval Police Station, and it’s been a bit of an eye opener.
This incident, which happened on Tuesday, was a) a bit scary since it happened just a block from my place and b) was reassuring in that the SFPD got the bad guys, and the victim got their stuff back. Read on:
06/17/08 3:00 pm 12th Avenue and Judah
A woman boarded a muni vehicle at 48th Avenue and Judah and noticed two suspects eyeing her. When the vehicle got to 12th Avenue and Judah, one of the suspects forcibly grabbed the victim’s Ipod and fled the train.
A witness and the victim jumped off the train and tried to chase the suspects while calling 911. Officers Ron Gehrke and Fred Kwan responded to the area and obtained a description of the suspects.
The witness left the area and boarded another train and to his consternation saw the suspects again on that train. The police were called with Gehrke and Kwan boarding the train. The officers observed the suspects with their hands up and one saying “okay, you got us”. The suspects were identified and the stolen property returned to the victim. Case #080633740
Yikes! It’s good to know the bad guys got caught…but it’s unfortunate that the DA lets people off so easy on these kinds of crimes and bad guys know it. Our police can’t do their job if the DA doesn’t have their back and keep some of these bad people off the streets.
You can send an email to the captain, and ask to join the email list. Since doing so I’ve become much more aware of just what goes on in our part of Our Fair City. I think the SFPD should be thanked for providing such a service to citizens so that they may be more vigilant about what happens around the neighborhood.
Wow – Im on 12th between Irving & Judah myself, so this was right at the stop where I catch the train. During the middle of the day that stretch from the beach to 9th Ave is pretty quiet, so I guess it would be a relatively good choice for someone out to rob a passenger. Still, seems like a lot of work for an iPod probably worth $100 or so.
The idea that police officers use the phrase “to his consternation” tickles me to no end.