Police Log: Football Game Brawl, Burglaries, Scam Alert

The following is a collection of reports prepared by the . The document contains only items of note. Dated April 22, the log contains incidents that occurred from April 14-20.

Thursday, April 14

An intoxicated woman was found lying on a residence’s lawn after crashing into a light pole on Green Street near Onyx Terrace. She was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. However, due to her level of intoxication, officers couldn’t determine if she was injured and called for an ambulance to take her to a hospital.

Police arrested a person for tampering with railroad property after a patrol office spotted a person messing with the railroad corssing on the corner of Whipple Road and Dyer Street. The officer parked his car and walked toward the subject, who didn’t notice the officer as he tried to dismantle a large piece of copper wire. The suspect was stopped and arrested after breaking off a large piece of coiled wire from the crossing arm.

Also on Thursday, a business on Decoto Road and Seventh Street reported a theft of more than $900 worth of copper pipe the previous weekend.

Later in the night, officers were sent to investigate a woman being “zoned out” sitting in a parked car in the left turn collector on Dyer Street and Courthouse Drive. The officer could smell alcohol in the vehicle and on the woman. The officer woke up the driver and found that she was drunk with a .37 blood-alcohol level. She was arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol and, due to the high level of alcohol in her system, transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Friday, April 15

In the morning, officers helped Alameda County Fire Department with traffic control after a business on Central Avenue experienced a hazardous materials incident. A drum of nitric acid overheated and turned into noxious gas, which triggered an alarm at the business. Fire crews resolved the issue with no medical issues reported, only heavy chemical odor that eventually dissipated.

Three suspects were arrested after burglarizing a residence on Pecan Way. Officers responded to the scene right after the incident occurred to find the home was completely ransacked. A witness gave officers a description of the vehicle the suspects fled in. A short time later, an officer spotted the vehicle traveling on Whipple Road near Calle La Mirada and made an investigative stop. Three subjects were eventually arrested after officers located stolen property in the vehicle. Detectives assisted in the investigation and tracked down more stolen property at a home on I Street.

Saturday, April 16

A large melee broke out at a football game at James Logan High School. Initial reports estimated 80 to 90 people were involved, including team members, coaches and parents. Arriving officers cleared the football field and detained the primary people involved. Through their investigation, officers learned that two players were engaged in a mutual fight at the end of a play. This caused both teams to come off the sidelines and participate. Some parents who were in the stands also got involved. A coach pushed one of the opposing players onto the ground during the fight. The player who started the fight was eventually arrested and released to his parents. A report is being sent to the district attorney for review of any charges against the coach who pushed the player to the ground.

A drunk driver almost crashed into a police car on Saturday night. The officer was driving eastbound on Whipple Road near Medallion Drive when a driver ran a red light at the intersection and barely missed the officer’s vehicle at about 40 mph. The suspect swerved and lost control of his car, hitting the curb and causing it to overturn onto its roof. The driver exited and tried to run away but gave up shortly after. The officer determined the suspect was drunk and arrested him for driving while under the influence. The suspect, who injured himself during the collision, was taken to a local hospital for treatment. While being transported to the hospital, the suspect tried to hide three grams of cocaine when he thought the ambulance attendant wasn’t looking. The ambulance attendant notified the officer when they arrived to the hospital. As a result, the suspect was also charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Wednesday, April 20

A witness reported an in-progress home burglary on Hop Ranch Road. The witness said there was five suspects and provided descriptions. The first arriving officers saw two of the suspects matching the description standing near the front of the victimized home. When the suspects saw officers approached, they slowly started walking away but stopped when officers ordered them to stop at gunpoint. The remaining three suspects tried to flee the area by jumping neighbors’ fences. More officers arrived, who set up a perimeter and eventually apprehended two of them. An investigating officer received information of the fifth suspect’s identity and located him as he was walking home.

Scam warning from UCPD:

In the last several weeks, we have been experiencing a rise in thefts by way of a scam known as the “pigeon drop.” As an example, recently a victim reported being approached at the Union Landing Shopping Center and befriended by a suspect who identified himself as an African prince. The suspect explained that he needed $2,000 to use as security (also known as “good faith” money) in order to receive a much larger sum from his home country. The victim agrees to front the “good faith” money in exchange for a fee (usually a promise to double his money) once the money is received.  This usually occurs in a public area near a banking institution so the victim can withdraw the funds. Once the victim hands the money over to the suspect, the suspect finds some way to excuse himself and flees with the money.  Oftentimes the victim feels foolish and may take hours or even days to report the incident to police.