Full Notification

Union City Police Department
34009 Alvarado-Niles Road
Union City, CA 94587
(510) 471-1365 Fax: (510)471-5974

“Police Blotter” Highlights – Ending February 15, 2015

WEEK IN REVIEW

Strong Arm Robberies

On Monday, Feb. 9th, around 4 p.m., Ofc. Blanchard was dispatched to the area of Brenda Way and Medallion Dr. on the report of a robbery. A suspect approached the victim and started up a conversation with her. He then grabbed her purse. When the victim resisted, the suspect hit her on the face and ran off with the purse. The victim’s cell phone was later found discarded in the area. The suspect was described as a black male, 36-37 years old, 5’10” and 165 lbs., with brown hair, brown eyes, and an unknown tattoo on the inside of his wrist.

On Friday, Feb. 13th, around 9 p.m., Ofc. Bedford was dispatched to Tapioca Express at 1707 Decoto Rd., on reports of a just-occurred robbery. The victim was walking to her vehicle when two suspects approached her, and one of them forcibly removed her purse from under her arm. The first suspect was described as an unknown race male, approximately 5’7” with a medium build. The second suspect was described as an unknown race male, approximately 5’5” with a thin build.

There are no apparent/known similarities between the robberies.

Robbery Attempt

On Thursday, Feb. 12th, around 10 p.m., Ofc. Willson was dispatched on the report of an attempted robbery that had occurred a couple hours earlier. The victim was using the ATM at the Wells Fargo on Alvarado-Niles Rd. when a suspect approached her and began talking to her. He asked for her phone, wallet and purse. When the victim did not respond, the suspect mentioned a gun and put his hands into the front pocket of his sweatshirt to simulate a weapon. (No gun was seen.) The victim began walking toward a passing car, at which point she noticed a second suspect. At that point, both suspects fled on foot. The victim described the first suspect as a black male in his 20s, about 6’1” with an average build. The second suspect was described as a black male, possibly in his 20s, about 5’8” with an average build.

Weapons Arrest

On Thursday, Jan. 12th, around 5:30 p.m., Ofc. Willson was on patrol in the area of Pulaski Dr. and Lafayette Ave. near the Union City/Hayward border. He made a consensual contact with a pedestrian, who stated he had a knife in his pocket. The knife turned out to be an illegal switchblade. Felipe Ponce, a 29-year-old Union City resident, was arrested.
 
BURGLARIES AND CAR THEFTS

RESIDENTIAL BURGLARIES

From Monday, Feb. 9th through Sunday, Feb. 15th, there were four reported residential burglaries and one attempt:
• 32500 block of Regents Bl.: Occurred on Friday, Feb. 13th, around 3:30 a.m. Entry was made via an unlocked window. The loss included a purse and its contents.
• 3200 block of Santa Monica Way: Occurred on Friday, Feb. 13th, between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. The rear sliding door was pried open, and one bedroom was ransacked. The loss included electronics and jewelry.
• 4200 block of Solar Circle: Occurred on Friday, Feb. 13th, around 2:45 p.m. A witness observed a suspect take a tool box from the victim’s garage. A probation search was conducted at the suspect’s residence, but nothing was found.
• 32900 block of Norwalk St.: Occurred on Sunday, Feb. 15th, between 9:45 a.m. and 10:55 a.m. Entry was made via a smashed rear window. The loss included jewelry and a green BMW, license plate #4WPP864.
• 2400 block of Becket Dr. (attempt only): Occurred on Friday, Feb. 13th, around 10 a.m. Two suspects knocked on the victim’s door and asked for “Bill.” When the victim told the suspects that no one named “Bill” lived there, they left. A short time later, the victim observed the suspects in her backyard, attempting to gain entry through a bathroom window. She screamed and they fled in a late 1990s model silver Lexus ES300. The suspects were described as Hispanic males in their 20s. One of them had mid-length curly hair in a ponytail.

Safety Tip: If anyone knocks on your door and asks for someone who does not live there, asks for directions, or otherwise acts strangely, call the police. It is very likely they are casing the area for burglary targets.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

From Monday, Feb. 9th through Sunday, Feb. 15th, there was one commercial burglary at a business in the Marketplace shopping center (northeast corner of Decoto Rd. and Alvarado-Niles Rd.). The front glass door was smashed, and cash was taken from the cash register and a lock box. Cracked glass doors were also found at two nearby businesses, in what may have been burglary attempts.

AUTO BURGLARIES

From Monday, Feb. 9th through Sunday, Feb. 15th, there were seven reported auto burglaries. Two of them occurred at Union Landing, and five of them were committed via a window smash. In many cases, the stolen items were in plain view on the floor of the vehicles.

Safety Tip: As a reminder, never leave items of value inside your vehicle!

From Monday, Feb. 9th through Sunday, Feb. 15th, there were 13 reported vehicle thefts. As of the time of this report, nine of the vehicles have been recovered.

Anyone with information on local crime or any of the listed incidents should contact the Investigations Division at 510-675-5247. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact the tips line by calling 510-675-5207 or email [email protected].

LET US KNOW HOW WE ARE DOING

We strive to provide excellent service to the community and are interested in hearing from members of the public about the quality of our service. Please share your experience and let us know how we’re doing. Visit http://www.ci.union-city.ca.us/departments/police-department to complete a Police Customer Satisfaction Survey.

EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHTS

UCPD Explorer Captain Ashley Torres was selected as Volunteer of the Quarter for the first quarter of 2015. Visit http://www.ci.union-city.ca.us/departments/police-department/more-information/ucpd-explorers to learn more about our Explorer program.