Full Notification

Notable Cases

On Tuesday, 07-08-14 at 10:30 a.m., a 50-year old Daly City resident said he received a voice message on his home answering machine from a subject who said he was a representative of the I.R.S. and he was past due on his back taxes. The victim said the subject advised him to call back within 12 hours or he would be subject to fines and jail time. The victim called the number left on the answering machine and spoke to a man named “Victor Johnson”, who said the victim was past due for 2011 and 2012 taxes. He instructed him to go to Home Depot to purchase a “prepaid card” in the amount of $980. The subject stated a field agent would respond to his address the next day to collect and discuss the tax account. The victim’s wife telephoned the subject back and said she knew the call was a scam. The wife said the subject was persistent and advised her if the back taxes were not paid, her husband would be subject to punishment. The wife then hung up. This case has been referred to the Investigations Division.

On Wednesday, 07-09-14 at 9:13 a.m., a 65-year old Daly City resident received a call from a female caller claiming to be with the I.R.S. who told him he owed $5,962.52 in back taxes. The caller threatened that if the victim did not pay immediately, his house would be foreclosed on and his license suspended. The female caller said the victim would receive another call shortly with instructions on how to settle the account. A short while later, the victim received a call from a male who instructed him to go to Safeway or Rite Aid and purchase a “Green Dot MoneyPak” card to settle his account. The victim purchased $2,500 worth of the Green Dot MoneyPak cards and called the male with the information from the cards. After giving him the numbers, the victim said the male then instructed him to go to another store to purchase more cards. At this time, the victim became suspicious and called his tax advisor who advised him to call the police.

On Friday, 07-11-14 at 6:22 p.m., Officer Steve Woelkers and Officer Brandon Scholes were en route to assist detectives on an attempt to contact call in San Francisco when their “automated license plate reader” in their patrol vehicle alerted them that a vehicle with a “felony want” had just passed them on the right. The officers checked with the dispatch center to confirm the want on the vehicle, and it was involved in a double shooting in San Francisco five days prior. The officers detained the driver and turned over the case to the San Francisco Police Department.

On Sunday, 07-13-14 at 8:54 a.m., Officer Joshua McQuade and Officer Ira Perez were dispatched to the rear parking lot of the police station on a report of a suspicious subject. Two officers were standing by with a male subject who appeared to be under the influence of some sort of controlled substance. The subject asked Officer Scott Hepler if he had room in the patrol vehicle for him. The subject couldn’t explain why he was in the parking lot. After Officer McQuade performed some tests on the subject, he determined that he was under the influence. The subject, a 24-year old Daly City resident, was arrested and booked into jail.


Robberies

There was one robbery and one attempted robbery during the past week.

On Wednesday, 07-09-14 at 2:42 a.m., Lieutenant Mike Barton was on patrol in the area of Santa Ana Avenue and Castellejo Avenue when he heard loud screaming. Officer Wailun Shiu arrived to assist, and they determined that a male was the victim of a robbery. The 54-year old Daly City resident said he was struck with an unknown hard object in the head and was kicked. The victim knew his attacker(s), and this investigation is continuing.

On Saturday, 07-14-14 at 8:30 p.m., a 37-year old Daly City resident said he was the victim of an attempted robbery in the area of 180 South Mayfair Avenue. The victim said he was walking on the pathway with his hood up and earphones engaged. He said he felt a person grab his shoulder and he thought he heard someone say something similar to, “Give me everything you have”. The victim said he took off his hood and earphones and turned to face the subject. He said he saw two black males, one 17-18 years old, 5’8” – 5’10”, slender build, wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and the other with the same description but wearing a yellow hooded sweatshirt. The male in the red told the victim to give him everything he had. The victim said he responded by taking out pepper spray and showing them and then yelling at them. The suspects were accompanied by two black females, and they all walked away. The victim suffered no loss and was not injured.


Residential Burglaries

There were three residential burglaries during the past week.

On Monday, 07-07-14 between 12:15 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., a residence on the 400 block of Bonnie Street was burglarized. The suspect removed the back window screen and opened the window. The loss includes coins, a safe containing cash, miscellaneous jewelry and important documents.

On Monday, 07-07-14 at 1:00 p.m., an unknown subject entered a residence on the 200 block of Westmoor Avenue via an unknown means and took money that was hidden. The reporting party said he entered his backyard to feed his dog and saw a subject standing nearby who showed him work that needed to be done to his neighbor’s property. The reporting party said he talked to the subject for about 15 minutes. The reporting party said he tried to get back into the house, but the backdoor was locked. He said after using his spare key, he entered his room and noticed it was ransacked and the money missing.

On Saturday, 07-12-14 between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., a residence on the 700 block of Templeton Avenue was burglarized. The victim was in the back room of the residence at the time the burglar entered the residence via an unknown means and took money from the counter, keys, and his 2000 Honda Civic. The subject, a 28-year old transient male, was arrested a day later.



Commercial Burglaries

There was one commercial burglary during the past week.

On Sunday, 07-14-14 at 4:45 a.m., officers were dispatched to a possible burglary in progress at the PHO 99 restaurant on Southgate Avenue. The unknown suspect had pried the front door open and took money from the cash register. The only suspect information is a possible black male adult wearing a dark colored sweat suit, black knit cap, black gloves and a white face mask.


Vehicle Burglaries

There were three vehicle burglaries during the past week.

• Outback Restaurant parking lot—an iPad from the side pocket door of a Chevrolet Impala. The left front window and right rear window was smashed. Occurred on 07-10-14 at 9:10 p.m.
• 400 block of Winchester Street—a suitcase containing a MacBook Pro, a watch, shoes, clothing and a passport was taken from a 2007 BMW 328i. The left rear window was smashed. Occurred on 07-10-14 between 9:00 p.m. and 9:10 p.m.
• Unit block of Midvale Drive—tools were taken from a 2001 Chevrolet van. The rear door lock was punched. Occurred between 8:00 p.m. on 07-11-14 and 7:15 a.m. on 07-12-14.


Stolen Vehicles

There were eight stolen vehicles in the last week. Four were recovered.

• 200 block of Whittier Street—a 1994 Honda Accord. Occurred between 10:00 p.m. on 07-07-14 and 6:00 a.m. on 07-08-14. **Recovered by Oakland P.D. on 07-10-14.
• Southgate Avenue/Westridge Avenue—2002 Ford Mustang. Occurred on 07-08-14 at 9:45 p.m. **Recovered by Daly City P.D. on 07-13-14.
• Belhaven Avenue/St. Francis Boulevard—a 1998 Honda Civic. Occurred on 07-08-14 between 5:45 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. **Recovered by Daly City P.D. on 07-11-14.
• 300 block of Gellert Boulevard—a 2000 Toyota Echo. Occurred on 07-08-14 between 4:14 p.m. and 4:24 p.m. (the vehicle was left running) **Recovered by Sunnyvale P.D. on 07-09-14.
• Estate Court/South Hill Court—a 1998 Honda Civic. Occurred between 6:30 p.m. on 07-08-14 and 12:00 p.m. on 07-09-14.
• Hoffman Street/Villa Street—a 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix. Occurred between 10:30 p.m. on 07-11-14 and 3:30 p.m. on 07-12-14.
• Chelsea Court/Brunswick Street—a 1993 Acura Integra. Occurred on 07-12-14 between 4:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
• Campus Drive/Hickey Boulevard—a 1993 Honda Civic. Occurred between 11:45 p.m. on 07-11-14 and 4:50 a.m. on 07-12-14.


Scams/Other

I.R.S. Scam

We have received two reports of IRS scams this week in Daly City. (See “notable cases” for information.)This also occurred in Pacifica last week. The Pacifica Police Department reported that one of their residents reported receiving a threatening phone call allegedly from an IRS agent stating that the resident owed money to the IRS and would be arrested if payment wasn’t made to the IRS. In matters like this, citizens need to call the government or business entity directly to validate the request before withdrawing money and potentially falling victim to a scam.

Additionally, this occurred in South San Francisco last week, and an alert Safeway clerk overheard the victim’s cell phone conversation and recognized she was being victimized by the scam. Luckily the clerk’s intervention prevented the citizen of being victimized by the scam.


“Blessing Ceremony”

This incident occurred in San Mateo and is definitely worth mentioning. Earlier this month, a man was approached by two subjects who asked him to help them donate money to various charities in the area. Once the victim agreed, he was asked to participate in a “Blessing Ceremony.” One suspect advised the victim that he was from Sierra Leone, and it was customary for them to hold a blessing ceremony prior to entering into a business arrangement. The suspect advised the victim that money or jewelry was typically used in the blessing ritual. The victim withdrew a large amount of money and jewelry from his safety deposit box and gave both to the suspect so he could perform the blessing ceremony. The suspect packaged the items and wrapped them in a special religious towel. At the conclusion of the blessing ceremony, the suspect gave the victim the package. The victim returned to the bank to place the jewelry and money back into the safety deposit box. When the victim unwrapped the package, he found out the contents was nothing but paper. The first suspect is described as a Middle Eastern or Hispanic male, approximately 40 years old, 5’8”, 155 pounds, short black hair, brown eyes, having a sharp angular face and no facial hair. He had a “strong and unusual accent”, claiming to be from Sierra Leone, Africa. The second suspect was also described as either a Middle Eastern or Hispanic male, approximately 40 years old, 5’10”, 170 pounds, short black hair, brown eyes, very well dressed and wearing a “Deacon” emblem necklace. The suspect claimed to be a deacon at a church in Hillsborough.


Community Events

Police Athletic League Golf Tournament, Monday, July 28, 2014

The Daly City Police Athletic League is having their 40th annual golf fundraiser tournament on Monday, July 28, 2014 at 11:30 a.m. at the beautiful Olympic Club in San Francisco. We still need golfers and sponsors. Please visit http://dcpal.org/golf-tournament/ for details.


National Night Out, Tuesday, August 5, 2014

National Night Out is on August 5, 2014, and it generally goes from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. National Night Out is an annual nationwide event designed to strengthen neighborhood spirit and unity, raise crime prevention awareness, develop partnerships between the city and the community, and to spread the word to criminals letting them that neighborhoods are organized and are fighting back. For the past few years, the Daly City Police Department, along with other local police departments, has been participating in an event held at the Target store parking lot in Colma (at 5001 Junipero Serra Boulevard). Last year, there were police cars, fire trucks, SWAT vehicles, K-9 demonstrations and other booths. The same event is planned this year from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Please join us for a fun-filled event with various activities that include Police and Fire demonstrations, arts and crafts and face painting. Prizes and giveaways will be available to those in attendance.

This year, in addition to that event, we would like the neighborhood associations as well as individuals not in a neighborhood association to spread the word and host a neighborhood gathering. Hosting a National Night Out gathering is a simple way for people to meet one another, have fun, and explore how they might work together to improve the safety and quality of their neighborhood. Whether you have a block party, barbecue, or just a simple “meet and greet” event, I encourage you to do so. Please let us know if you intend on hosting an event, and I will try my best to arrange a patrol officer to visit your gathering. Please contact Management Analyst Diane McCarthy at (650) 746-8373 or [email protected].


Digital/Social Media

Please “like” us on Facebook if you would like to see updates and photos about the Police Department. Our handle on Twitter is @DalyCityPD, if you would like to follow us.

Other departments within the City have recently launched their social media campaigns. Please help the City improve our social media efforts by filling out this on line survey.
http://bit.ly/Wcr2qf
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If you have any suggestions or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your concern for our community.



Diane McCarthy
Management Analyst