San Francisco Police Chief George Gascón announced that crime in The City was down 8 percent in 2010 from 2009, and violent crime dropped 4 percent.
There were 50 homicides last year, up from 45 in 2009, yet still the second-lowest total since the 1960s. Among big cities, San Francisco had the fewest homicides per capita at 0.059 compared to New York City (0.063) and Los Angeles (0.074).
Gregory Elarms, 58, charged with fatally shooting an East Palo Alto community leader outside a San Mateo mall in June, will be in court in February for a preliminary hearing after pleading not guilty to murder. Elarms is accused of killing David Lewis near his car in the parking lot of the Hillsdale Shopping Center on June 9. He could be eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
A 31-year-old woman was robbed and carjacked at gunpoint by a group of hooligans Tuesday night, police said. But they didn’t get away with it. The woman was in her parked car in the 1100 block of Union Street around 11 p.m. when one of the suspects tapped on her window and showed her a gun, cops said.
A 24-year-old woman was robbed on an escalator Tuesday night, cops said. The woman was on the escalator in the 700 block of Market Street around 8:30 p.m. when she was approached by three suspects between the ages of 17 and 24 years old, police said. One of the hoodlums punched the woman in the face while the others took her bag, cops said. The creeps fled on foot with the woman’s bag, which contained her cell phone and cash, police said.
The age old saying of “looking both ways when crossing” the street should also be applied whenever stepping off a curb.
A New Year’s Day incident sent one female to the hospital after she was run over by a car twice while trying to catch a cab.
According to San Francisco police, a 24-year-old female had stepped into the street at the 800 block of Brannan Street around 1:30 a.m. Saturday to hail a taxi.
A shotgun couldn’t intimidate a 24-year-old woman into giving up her cash Sunday, cops said. The woman was at the train station at 3rd and Palou streets around 5:15 p.m. when four young reprobates between ages 15 and 17 approached her, police said. One of the punks whipped out a shotgun and demanded the woman’s money, police said. The women struggled with the armed suspect, forcing the punks to flee without the cash, cops said. No arrests have been made.
Two crooks robbed a 33-year-old man of his cash Saturday night, and both were rather adamant about asking the victim not to call cops, police said. The first crook, a woman in her 20s, reached into his pocket, swiped his money and told him not to call police in the 600 block of South Van Ness Avenue around 9:50 p.m., police said.
A 26-year-old man was stabbed and robbed of his wallet on New Year’s Day, police said. Two men in their mid-20s attacked the victim in the 300 block of Division Street around 2:30 a.m., police said. The hooligans stabbed him several times while he was on the ground before swiping his wallet and fleeing, police said. The victim’s wounds were not life-threatening, cops said. No arrest has been made.rnagle@sfexaminer.com
A 30-year-old man was robbed of his green card, Social Security card and cell phone in the Tenderloin district Sunday morning, police said.Cops are hunting two men in their late 20s for robbery at the intersection of Ellis and Leavenworth streets around 6:05 a.m., police said.One suspect put a knife to the victim’s stomach and searched his pockets, while the other claimed the stolen items, police said. The suspects fled and there have been no arrests.
Public Defender Jeff Adachi had a victorious 24 hours last week with three separate acquittals that prevented three people for spending a year behind bars.
In one instance, a caregiver to the elderly was driving her grandmother’s minivan when an officer attempted to pull her over for a broken tail light but told the jury she had no idea she was being pulled over, according to Adachi’s office.
