El Cerrito Police Blotter: Elder Abuse Thwarted, BART Path Robbery

The following items are written and selected by El Cerrito Police Department. 

November 4 

Attempted Residential Burglary – 1200 Block of Cabrillo St. 
At 7:02 p.m., Officers responded to the 1200 block of Cabrillo St. for a burglar alarm in the area. The Officers located the residence and conducted a search of the rear yard. An Officer located pry marks on the back door but there were no signs of entry. No items were reported missing and no suspect information was available. 

Warrant Arrest/Suspicious Circumstance – 1200 Block of Navellier St. 
At 11:04 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 1200 block of Navellier St. for a report of loud music and a possible fight in the backyard. As the officers were preparing to make contact with the occupants of the house, the officers heard what they thought to be 8 to 10 shots fired from a small caliber gun or pellet rifle. Officers ordered the occupants of the house to come out. Officers arrested one of the occupants, a 31-year-old man from El Sobrante, on two outstanding warrants. During a search of the residence, officers located a pellet rifle and determined it was responsible for the popping noises heard by the officers. An officer transported the man to the Martinez Detention Facility where he was booked for the warrants. 

Robbery - Hill St. at the BART Path 
At 3:21 p.m. officers responded to this location on the report of an attempted robbery that just occurred. While driving to the call, dispatch advised that the victim was chasing the two suspects near the area of the OSH parking lot. One of the responding ECPD units located a 19-year-old man from Richmond who matched the description. The victim positively identified the man as one of the robbers, during an in-field show-up. Officers discovered that the man was also in possession of a switchblade knife, used during the robbery. Detectives interviewed the man at the police department and connected him with a second robbery, reported on October 30. After the interview, an officer transported the man to the Martinez Detention Facility. Although second suspect was not located, investigators are working to identify him. 

Grand Theft and Elder Abuse – Richmond St. at Moeser Ln. 
While on patrol, an officer noticed four individuals speaking to an elderly man in front of his residence. The officer thought something suspicious was happening and pulled to the side of the road to watch the interaction. The subjects continued to display strange behavior, prompting the officer to contact them. During his investigation, the officer spoke to the men he saw with the elderly man. The men claimed that their brand new truck was overheating and that they asked the elderly man for the use of his hose. When officers talked to the elderly man, they learned the group was trying to convince the man to hire them to repair dents on his car. 

Officers learned that one of the men was on parole for extortion and another was on probation for theft from an elder. An officer contacted state Parole and an agent issued a warrant for the parolee. Officers arrested the parolee and took him to county jail in Martinez. The officers at the scene impounded the truck. 

On Nov. 5, officers met with the owner of the pickup truck. They learned that a woman befriended him and convinced him to buy her the truck. She planned to pay him back after she received a settlement. The elderly owner was adamant that she was not taking advantage of him. The woman accompanied the man to the department and, when the officer met her, she tried to dispose of a controlled substance. The officer arrested her for illegal possession of a controlled substance. 

The officer and the elderly owner visited his bank together and learned that a number of fraudulent withdrawals were made from the man’s bank account. As it turns out, the woman is the sister of the parolee found in possession of the truck. Officers and the elderly victim believe the woman and her family were making fraudulent withdrawals from his bank account. The officer transported the woman to county jail and the investigation is still ongoing. 

This incident highlights a couple of typical scams. The first scam involves dent repair. Generally, the scammer will find an elderly person and convince them to pay the scammer to fix a dent on their car. Instead of repairing the dent, the scammer will tape a piece of paper over the dent, tell the owner that the paint is curing, and collect their money. When the owner removes the paper, they find that the dent is still on the car and the swindler is gone. The second scheme present in this incident is more elaborate. In this case, the woman befriended an elderly man and convinced him that she was due for a large cash settlement. In exchange for a later payment, she received a truck. In addition, she and her family gained access to the man’s bank accounts and began withdrawing from his savings. It is important to be aware of these frauds and understand that they often target seniors in our community. 

November 5 

Reckless Driving - Parking Lot of Barnes and Noble, El Cerrito Plaza 
At 9:20 p.m., an officer watched as a driver backed out of a parking stall and then spun the tires while driving through the parking lot. The officer stopped the 21-year-old driver from El Cerrito on the south side of the plaza. The officer cited the man for reckless driving and impounded the vehicle. 

November 6 

Burglary - 1600 block of Liberty St. 
An unknown suspect forced open a rear window to gain access to the residence and steal several laptops while the residents were at home. The theft occurred on Nov. 6 between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.. 

Vehicle Theft - 1800 block Liberty St. 
A resident reported the theft of their purple Honda Civic on Nov. 6, between 6:30 a.m. and 2:35 p.m. 

November 7 

Vehicle Theft - 5900 block of San Diego Ave. 
An unknown suspect stole a 1998 Honda Civic between 11/06 at 2330 hours and Nov. 7 at 8 a.m. During a neighborhood canvass, the responding officer located the vehicle abandoned several blocks away. 

Commercial Burglary and Passing a Fraudulent Check 
At 5:19 p.m., officers responded to Safeway for a report of a fraudulent check presented by a customer to a clerk. Officers arrived and arrested a 53-year-old man from Greenbrae for possession of four fraudulent/altered checks and commercial burglary. An officer booked the man and then transported him to the Martinez Detention Facility.