Police Blotter

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol: Feb. 28, 2 p.m., 100 Block of Holloway Avenue

An alert citizen noticed a man having difficulty trying to park his car and then stumble out to go into a local store. After seeing an open container of beer in the vehicle, the citizen called 9-1-1.

When the man returned to his vehicle, carrying more beer, an officer responded to the emergency call and stopped the 64-year-old suspect from driving away.

The suspect, whose blood-alcohol level was .28, almost four times the legal limit, said he was watching a hockey game and needed more beer.

He was arrested.

Robbery: Feb. 23, 11:30 p.m., 2000 Block of Ocean Avenue

Two masked suspects entered a convenience store, armed with handguns, and detained several suspects in the rear of the store. While one suspect watched the employees, the other cleaned out the cash register.

One suspect also pistol-whipped an employee for being unable to open the store's safe. The suspects then fled the scene in a black Chevrolet Malibu.

Taraval officers flooded the area and located the vehicle, but lost it after the suspects sped off at a high rate of speed. The officers caught up with the vehicle again, however, after the suspects crashed and abandoned it at San Jose Avenue and Randall Street. In their haste to escape, the suspects left incriminating evidence in the vehicle linking them to other robberies in the area.

Officers followed the suspects' trail via discarded clothing the suspects were stripping off to disassociate themselves from witness' descriptions. One 21-year-old suspect, minus most of his clothing, went to SF General Hospital for treatment, saying he hurt himself in a fall. Because he was on probation for carrying a concealed firearm, a search of his residence was enacted, where officers discovered evidence linking the suspect to a restaurant take-over robbery in the Potrero District.

The suspect was booked on two robbery charges. The search for the second suspect continues.

Burglary, Possession of Burglary Tools: Feb. 22, 2:30 p.m., 1000 Block of Great Highway

A man locked his bicycle to a pole near the seawall at Ocean Beach and walked away. A short time later, he saw a man cut the lock, get on the bicycle and ride away.

The victim chased the suspect and managed to grab the bike but the suspect sped away and escaped. A witness saw what happened and told the victim to get into her car to look for the thief.

A search was unsuccessful so the witness dropped the victim off at the parking lot. While the witness was leaving, she spotted the burglar and started honking her horn.

Several other witnesses approached the suspect, who dropped the bicycle and walked away.

Officers arrived at the scene and arrested the 44-year-old suspect, who had stolen two bicycles that afternoon and was in possession of burglary tools.

Suspected Suicide: Feb. 22, Modoc County, California

A suspect who shot a family member in the leg in the Sunset in early February was discovered a short distance from his vehicle by Modoc County sheriffs.

According to the coroner, the suspect died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The 67-year-old suspect shot the victim over a business dispute before fleeing. The victim suffered a non-life-threatening injury.

Marijuana-Growing Plantation: Feb. 19, 6:30 a.m., 2600 Block of 22nd Avenue

Armed with a tip from neighbors, officers conducted surveillance of a suspected marijuana growing location.

After getting enough evidence to support a search warrant, which was issued by the Superior Court, numerous officers entered the building and discovered almost 200 mature marijuana plants and an illegal electrical connection, which was melting the wiring of the house.

PG&E technicians responded immediately to safely disconnect the wiring by-pass. The suspects in this case are still at-large.

So far in 2010, there has been six illegal cultivation operations uncovered in Taraval police district residences.

Since March of 2009, the Taraval investigations unit has investigated 64 residences suspected of housing marijuana-growing sites. All but five have proved to be illegal. About half of the operations were functioning on illegal electrical systems. To date, 69 people have been arrested on felony charges and almost 20,000 plants and 34 firearms have been seized, along with more than $346,000 in cash.

Stalking, Domestic Violence: Feb. 13, Taraval District

A woman from the Sunset ended a relationship with her live-in boyfriend and the break-up turned violent.

Taraval officers recognized the potential danger to the woman and conducted regular patrols of the area where she was staying. Because the suspect knew the woman would be at the Lakeshore Plaza, they set up surveillance.

When the 29-year-old suspect arrived at the scene, he was arrested.

Armed Robbery: Feb. 5, 3:20 p.m., 19th Avenue and Judah Street

Three men in their 20s were riding an eastbound Muni N-Judah streetcar and were about to depart when a group of eight juveniles, some armed with knives, demanded the men's property.

When they tried to get off the streetcar, one of the suspects cut one of the victims in the stomach.

The victims were able to provide a good description of the suspects so police officers stopped the streetcar near Carl Street and Hillway Avenue to question the suspects. But, when the officers boarded, the suspects exited the streetcar and took off running. Officers were able to catch three of the suspects, who were positively identified and arrested. Some stolen property was recovered.

Vehicular Hit and Run, Child Endangerment: Jan. 30, 3:05 p.m., 800 Block of 43rd Avenue and Golden Gate Park

A 23-year-old woman got into her car and hit a vehicle on 43rd Avenue. Despite slight injuries to the victims, the woman drove off. A short time later, she hit an occupied vehicle on Chain of Lakes Drive in Golden Gate Park, again causing minor injuries to the vehicle's occupants, which included a child.

After the second accident, the suspect asked a witness for a ride downtown and attempted to get into the witness' vehicle. Officers arrived on the scene and arrested the suspect.

Several of the victims were transported by ambulance to local hospitals for treatment.