2 Alarm Fire on Blanchard Street

Fremont Fire is on scene battling a two alarm house fire on Blanchard Street. Fire has spread to a house on Foster.  One firefighter did go to the hospital after taking a stream of water to his face, per radio traffic.  This was described as a minor injury.

Why Are These Two Murders Kept Quiet?

Both law enforcement and the news media have not reported on the following two local homicides.  If you have seen published reports,  please email me the link.

Assault

32000 Block ALVARADO BLVD

ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE [PC 664/187]

Jul 24, 2019

around 12 AM

Description: ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE [PC 664/187]

Case No.: 190724001

Agency: Union City Police Department

A man was later arrested for murder/187PC for the case above.

Homicide

37300 Block NILES BLVD

HOMICIDE [187]

May 20, 2019

around 8 AM

Description: HOMICIDE [187]

Case No.: 190520007

Agency: Fremont Police Department

No one has been arrested in this case, which occurred on the evening of May 19.

Drunk Female Thief

Arrest info list this woman as a Fremont transient, 54 years old. ...what a life.

Arrested For:	By:	Date:
Petty Theft Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	4/8/2019
Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Petty Theft Shoplifting	Alameda County SD	12/20/2018
Robbery Petty Theft	Fremont PD	12/18/2018
Shoplifting	Alameda County SD	9/4/2018
Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Petty Theft Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	9/1/2018
Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Petty Theft	Hayward PD	8/16/2018
Shoplifting	Alameda County SD	7/19/2018
Petty Theft Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	7/17/2018
Petty Theft Interference W/Business Customers	Fremont PD	6/21/2018
Petty Theft Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	6/13/2018
Petty Theft Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	4/26/2018
Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Petty Theft Intoxicated in Public Shoplifting	Fremont PD	3/16/2018
Possess Control Substance Paraphernalia Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Petty Theft Intoxicated in Public Shoplifting	Fremont PD	2/10/2018
Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Petty Theft Shoplifting	Fremont PD	1/24/2018
Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	1/10/2018
Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Petty Theft Shoplifting	Alameda County SD	1/8/2018
Trespass On Closed Lands	Fremont PD	1/4/2018
Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Petty Theft Shoplifting	Fremont PD	11/24/2017
Shoplifting	Fremont PD	10/17/2017
Intoxicated in Public	Alameda County SD	9/22/2017
Battery On Peace Officer/Emergency Personnel Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	9/17/2017
Shoplifting	Fremont PD	9/11/2017
Petty Theft	Fremont PD	8/19/2017
Possess Control Substance Paraphernalia Trespass By Driving On Private Property	Alameda County SD	8/8/2017
Battery On Peace Officer/Emergency Personnel Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	8/4/2017
Battery On Peace Officer/Emergency Personnel Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	7/26/2017
Battery On Peace Officer/Emergency Personnel Intoxicated in Public	Alameda County SD	7/10/2017
Possess Control Substance Paraphernalia Trespass By Driving On Private Property	Fremont PD	7/7/2017
Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Battery On Peace Officer/Emergency Personnel Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	5/9/2017
Trespass By Occupy Property Without Consent	Fremont PD	12/23/2016
Battery On Peace Officer/Emergency Personnel Disorderly Conduct: Solicit Lewd Act Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	9/3/2016
Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	8/8/2016
Battery On Peace Officer/Emergency Personnel Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	7/24/2016
Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	7/9/2016
Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	6/9/2016
Resist / Obstruct / Delay Peace Officer Battery On Peace Officer/Emergency Personnel Intoxicated in Public	Newark PD	10/29/2015
Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	9/29/2015
Battery On Peace Officer/Emergency Personnel Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	8/21/2015
Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	7/14/2015
Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	6/9/2015
Battery On Peace Officer/Emergency Personnel Petty Theft Intoxicated in Public Petty Theft With Prior	Fremont PD	2/19/2015
Petty Theft Petty Theft w/Prior	Alameda County SD	11/5/2014
Petty Theft With Prior	Alameda County SD	10/15/2014
Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Theft Petty Theft Petty Theft With Prior Petty Theft w/Prior	Fremont PD	10/13/2014
Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	8/14/2014
Criminal Contempt; Willful Disobedience Of Process/Court Order Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Petty Theft With Prior	Fremont PD	8/13/2014
Intoxicated in Public Petty Theft With Prior	Fremont PD	7/14/2014
Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Petty Theft Petty Theft With Prior Petty Theft w/Prior	Newark PD	7/11/2014
Contempt Of Court: Disobey Court Order/Process Petty Theft Petty Theft With Prior	Fremont PD	7/11/2014
Petty Theft Petty Theft w/Prior	Newark PD	5/26/2014
Intoxicated in Public Petty Theft	Fremont PD	5/26/2014
Petty Theft Petty Theft w/Prior	Newark PD	4/20/2014
Petty Theft With Prior	Fremont PD	4/20/2014
Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	2/28/2014
Petty Theft Petty Theft w/Prior	Newark PD	2/11/2014
Theft Petty Theft With Prior	Fremont PD	2/10/2014
Intoxicated in Public	Fremont PD	2/1/2014
Petty Theft Petty Theft With Prior	Alameda County SD	10/21/2013

---

Robbery at BART

A person had their cell phone taken from them at the Fremont BART station around 11:20 this morning, according to a broadcast from BART Police.  The suspect was last seen running towards Civic Center and the cell phone has been recovered.  No weapon used- just a threat of force.

Early Morning Burglary in Warm Springs

More info to follow, but officers are active in a Warm Springs neighborhood looking for three men who tried to break into a home around 7:25 this morning.  The location is on Sentinel near Sundance. The owner observed on video three men, one with a mask on, trying to enter his backyard through a gate.  His mother was home at the time and shortly there after the alarm went off.  Officers did later find the inside garage door kicked in.  As of this writing it is unknown if the subjects entered the house or took anything.  The house and backyard have been cleared of any intruders.  A possible suspect vehicle is a silver Toyota Camry.

Why Are So Many Mentally Ill Walking the Streets of Fremont?

While this story pertains to the crisis in San Francisco,  much of it applies to Fremont as well.  Conservatorship is a solution that Fremont and Alameda County need to pursue, in my opinion.  We have all seen the mentally ill around town, and as the article explains, many are so mentally ill that they don't even know that they need help.  Here is the link to the SF Chron story:

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/heatherknight/article/Why-are-more-mentally-ill-people-wandering-SF-14226599.php

Scanner Going Down This Weekend

In light of the Gilroy shootings and with the Arts Festival this weekend, I will be turning off the Fremont Dispatch Scanner during festival times.  While the festival traffic is usually on a alternate channel (talk group) and would not be broadcast anyway,  and the broadcast is normally delayed 30-60 seconds,  I don't want some sick copy cat shooter to think or perceive that he has some kinda of tactical advantage by listening to the online scanner.  So in the interest of community safety, the feed will take a break during festival hours this weekend.

Police Activity on Stivers

Officers have located a stolen white Ford F150 in a parking garage on Stivers after a long search.  The vehicle is unoccupied and officers are looking in the area for the suspect.  They have a good description of him.

Nunchucks Man

City, State	Fremont, CA
Arrest Date	July 28, 2019
County of Arrest	Alameda
Source	Fremont Police
Arrested For	11364 - Possess Control Substance Paraphernalia 148.9(A) - Giving False Information To A Peace Officer 12500(A) - Drive W/O License 4462.5 - Display Of False Evidence Of Registration 22010 - Manufacture / Import / Sale of Nunchaku / Nunchucks Arrested For: By: Date: Possession of Controlled Substance Possess Control Substance Paraphernalia Giving False Information To A Peace Officer Drive W/O License Display Of False Evidence Of Registration Manufacture / Import / Sale of Nunchaku / Nunchucks. Fremont PD 3/9/2019 Possess Control Substance Paraphernalia Drive W/O License Display Of False Evidence Of Registration Manufacture / Import / Sale of Nunchaku / Nunchucks. Fremont PD 10/10/2018 Possession of Controlled Substance Bring Controlled Substance/Etc Into Prison Drive W/O License DUI Alcohol/Drugs Hayward CHP 5/13/2017

Update On The Newark Fatal Crash of Stolen Vehicle

The woman who crashed her stolen car and died last week in Newark had previously killed an innocent driver in a similar situation years ago.  Here is the story in the East Bay Times:
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2019/07/29/woman-killed-fleeing-east-bay-police-had-killed-innocent-driver-while-fleeing-in-2001/

This is Transparency

Here is how a real police department public information should work.  In this case it's Boise ID police.  True, they may have more PIO officers, but Fremont's flow of info needs some serious improvement. Here is a timely tweet to an active scene:

Boise PD  @BoisePD

6m

Officers are attempting to make contact with an aggravated assault suspect in a home on the 1600 block of Hervey. Officers believe the man may be armed and are working to handle the situation safely and slowly. No further information is available at this time.

As you can read above, everything the public needs to know is there. What, where, when and why. Keeps false rumors and guessing from spreading.

And they keep the public updated:

Boise PD 

@BoisePD

Update: the suspect is in custody and the scene is secure.

Boise PD  @BoisePD

Officers are attempting to make contact with an aggravated assault suspect in a home on the 1600 block of Hervey. Officers believe the man may be armed and are working to handle the situation safely and slowly. No further information is available at this time.

.

Car Thieves Encounter Bad Karma

Nothing went right for a male/female burglary team this afternoon.  Their first mistake was to steal some documents from a vehicle that was next door to an excellent witness.  She saw them take docs out of her neighbor's car, got the plate and good description of the suspects.  She called 9-1-1 and the cops were on the way.  The plate she gave turned out to be a stolen Ford Focus.  FPD officers picked up the car south on Fremont by WHS.  The car fled, turning east on Walnut.  When it turned south on Civic driving in the wrong lane, the pursuit was terminated.  Their next draw of bad luck was driving by the PD on Stevenson where dispatchers saw them out the window driving by in the bike lane eastbound.  Karma finally struck when they turned south on Stevenson Place, dumped the car and ran into Central Park by the tennis courts.  Minutes earlier the park was saturated with police officers looking for a missing 7 year old.  He was found safe and officers were still in the area of the park when the stolen car caper began.  The suspects literally drove into a hornets nest of patrol and motor officers!  Two in custody.  Sometimes the cops get lucky.

Union City Homicide Last Wednesday Morning

As mentioned in a post further down, a man was arrested for homicide July 24th.  Listening to the radio traffic for that morning, UCPD officers and paramedics responded to the Fremont Bank at the intersection of Alvarado and Dyer at 12:08 a.m. on a report of two men fighting.  They initially contacted one man who was walking away from the scene, but were alerted by a passing motorist of a man badly beaten laying behind the bank.  Officers reported that that man was unconscious but breathing.  He also had a large amount of blood on his face.  The man was transported to a hospital.  Based on the initial reported crime (attempt homicide) and the crime the suspect was arrested for (murder), I believe the victim passed away.  Unfortunately  UCPD has not prepared a news release.

Large Unruly Party Seneca Park (updated)

 Officers are issuing dispersal orders to people in attendance at a large party on Seneca Park.  Over 100 people were reported to be in attendance.  At one point officers had the party broken up and people were leaving.  Then two bottles were thrown at an officer or his car.  A foot pursuit began moments later and the suspect was taken into custody.  Supervisors authorized pepperball against any further bottle throwers.  More officers were brought in code 3 to ensure the party goers left the area, which they did.

Photo of the Day

This standard issue California license plate would be more appropriate on a 60s American made muscle car as opposed to this silent EV.  Grrrrrr!

Union City Man Arrested For Murder

Not sure if these are related...but dates/crime match.  Victim must have died.

Assault

32000 Block ALVARADO BLVD

ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE [PC 664/187]

Jul 24, 2019

around 12 AM

Description:	ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE [PC 664/187]
Case No.:	190724001
Agency:	Union City Police Department

• 
  

Arrest Information for Kusitafe Makasina

Arrest Name	Kusitafe Makasina
Age	23
Address	XXXXXXer Dr (VERIFIED)
City, State	Union City, CA
Arrest Date	July 24, 2019
County of Arrest	Alameda
Source	Union City Police
Arrested For	187 - Murder

I'll try and dig out more details on this.  I don't recall a homicide in U.C. in recent days.

Fremont Receives State Grant to Fight Auto Burgs

Fremont is one of five Bay Area cities to receive $750K state grant to help fight auto burglaries.  This will also help pay for that nice $$ raise they received lately....
Here is the story from the great Joey Geha of the East Bay Times:

https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/07/26/local-police-to-get-nearly-4-million-of-state-surplus-to-combat-car-break-ins/


FremontStreets photo taken on Auto Mall last month.

FPD Pursuit Leads to Head On Deadly Crash in Newark

Detectives have ordered up two ambulances and have stated that there are no outstanding suspects.  Parts of Central near Cedar in Newark are being shut down.  Driver of the stolen vehicle is unresponsive and pinned in.  Sounds like a pursuit of a stolen car gone bad.  More info when available.
Update:  Apparently the suspect vehicle collided with a pick up truck head on.  The truck was sheared in half and the driver is unresponsive.  Suspect driver has been declared dead at the scene.
This event  originated at an apartment complex on Central in Fremont where Fremont detectives were apparently on a stake out.   Two detective vehicles were attempting to box in the stolen Toyota sedan and prevent it from leaving, according to press reports.  The suspect rammed both vehicles and was able to escape on Central.  A task force officer did ask for a tow to the apartment complex, leading me to believe his vehicle was rammed by the suspect and put out of order.  The number of  detectives that were on the stake out is unknown.

Bogus Robbery Calls

A thirsty transient walks into a convenience store, grabs a bottle of Gatorade and walks towards the door.  She shoves the manager on the way out in order to escape.  Technically this is a robbery, 211 PC, a felony.  Fremont dispatchers get all excited about cases like this and treat it like it was an armed bank robbery.  The alert tone goes off BEEEEEEEP.   Three officers are dispatched.  An urgency in the dispatcher's voice can be heard.  Fortunately the officers and supervisors in the field recognize this for what it is- petty theft.  One officer should be sufficient for this call.  The more serious crime plaguing Fremont are auto burglaries and having officers pulled off these cases for a theft of a Gatorade is disappointing. 

Reviewing the Debra Abbey Murder

Over 15 years ago Debra Abbey was shot 3 times in her Mission Blvd home and was killed.  She had been employed by FUSD for 17 years and was the custodian at Niles Elementary.  The murder shocked the community.  A 17 year old Newark boy was a "person of interest" by FPD, according to news reports at the time.  57 months later the 17 year old is arrested.  And in October 2012 he is convicted of second degree murder and given 15 years to life.  According to reports from the court hearing, a friend of the suspect tipped off police that he admitted killing Abbey.  This may be the template for the Thad Steiner murder this past May.  Perhaps police have a "person of interest" but are waiting for some solid evidence.  Let's hope we won't have to wait 57 months for that case to be resolved.

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2006/01/10/leads-fade-in-janitor-s-slaying/

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2008/10/14/hayward-man-charged-in-04-slaying-of-niles-janitor/

https://patch.com/california/fremont/hayward-man-sentenced-to-15-years-to-life-for-murderi5c96282275

Big Manhunt in L.A.-Now in Custody

Suspect in custody after killing 4 in the San Fernando Valley.

LAPD Valley Bureau is on tactical alert for a man wanted in multiple shootings.  Here is a link to the LA Times story:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-07-25/triple-shooting-targeting-canoga-park-family-leaves-2-men-dead-woman-injured

Here is a link to the LAPD Valley Bureau on line scanner:

https://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/26569

Short Pursuit Last Night

Around 10:45 last night a Fremont officer observed a stolen black 2016 Jeep in the Irvington area.  The vehicle fled from the officer driving east on Grimmer in the west bound lanes.  The vehicle then turned left on Fremont and left on Stevenson, eventually driving south on 880 in the northbound lanes.  The FPD sergeant called off the pursuit twice as the risk of an accident increased.  The vehicle was stolen out of Hayward.

Update on Saturday's 880 Pursuit

PIO Geneva Bosques has confirmed that no one was injured in the incident except for the occupants of the suspect vehicle.  They did strike another car on the freeway, but no one in that car was injured.  Two of the three occupants in the pursued car have been booked.  The driver is still in the hospital.  They hope to have a formal news release soon.

Hayward Has New Police Chief

Read about it here in the East Bay Times:
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2019/07/23/new-police-chief-selected-for-east-bay-city/

Police Activity Clark & Canyon Heights

A woman in the area confronted another woman who was tampering with the lock to her patio door.  She then gave chase.  The suspect was last seen on the RR tracks running towards Clark.  Officers were able to catch up with her and take her into custody.  Trains were stopped briefly.

Tesla Supercharger at The Hub

This morning I spotted 3 cars there.  All had rear plates but no front plates.

99 Ranch Market

I was surprised to find out this morning that Ranch 99 is officially 99 Ranch Market.  I've been calling it the wrong name all these months.  As you may know,  they have two locations in Fremont.  One on Fremont Blvd at the north end of town and the other in Warm Springs.  Unfortunately vehicles in their parking lots are often burglarized.
Here is a blurb on the history of the Asian supermarket chain:


https://www.99ranch.com/about

Armed Carjacking at U.C. BART Last Night

Around 10:40 last night three young men carjacked a white 03 Honda Civic from the Union City BART station.  At least one of them had a handgun. 

LEFT lane CLOSED ahead

This is at least the second time I have noticed incorrect signage in the construction area on Mowry in recent weeks.  In the lower photo, the sign is UPSIDE DOWN.    I just hope the guy putting up the signs is not the same guy driving the heavy machinery.

Disturbance at the Extended Stay

Motel 6 is not alone in attracting questionable customers.  Just before 10 this morning there was a report of a naked woman in the hallway screaming for someone to call police.  Apparently there was a verbal disturbance heard earlier in the room she was staying in.   And this was the Extended Stay off of Farwell by 880.


Photo by Fremont Streets.

Recent Burglary Arrests

Here are a few recent burglary arrests that I was able to cull from the internet:

Arrest Name	Caleo Garretnash
Age	22
Address	XXXXXXez Ln (VERIFIED)
City, State	Richmond, CA
Arrest Date	July 17, 2019
County of Arrest	Alameda
Source	Fremont Police
Arrested For	459 - Burglary

Name	Malik Gordon
Age	19
Address	XXXXXX Blvd (VERIFIED)
City, State	Oakland, CA
Arrest Date	July 21, 2019
County of Arrest	Alameda
Source	Fremont Police
	459 - Burglary 466 - Possession Of Burglar's Tools 496(A) - Receiving Or Concealing Stolen Property Arrest Name Jordan Grundy Age 19 Address XXXXXXt Ave (VERIFIED) City, State Richmond, CA Arrest Date July 17, 2019 County of Arrest Alameda Source Fremont Police Arrested For 459 - Burglary

Big $$ Increase for FPD Officers

Good read from Joey Geha in the East Bay Times: https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/07/22/fremont-police-get-11-5-percent-pay-raise-over-two-years/

Stolen Vehicles on the Rise

CHP weighs in on an increase in stolen vehicles.  via twitter:


CHP Hayward 

@CHPHayward

CHP Hayward has seen an increase in the amount of in and out of state stolen vehicles through our VIN inspection program. As a reminder make sure there’s a title, check the VIN # to the title, get a pic of the sellers DL, finally if the deal is too good to be true it probably is.

Stolen Vehicle Stop on Mission at Stevenson

A stolen Nissan Sentra tripped the license plate reader (LPR) camera on Mission Blvd a few minutes ago.  An FPD patrol officer was able to find the vehicle in traffic as they passed Luckys northbound.  Numerous officers converged at Stevenson where a traffic stop was initiated.  The driver pulled over, cooperated and was taken into custody.  The vehicle was taken from Novato CA. 

Angry Woman at Niles Plaza

A domestic dispute has led a woman to smash a car window of an ex-boyfriend with a bottle.  Officers are on the way to the Niles Plaza to investigate. 

"HOPR" is Here

Bike rentals are available at The Hub now.  Their Hub dock is located near the Tesla charge station.  This is convenient for Tesla owners who would be able to access a bicycle while their car charges.  For some reason I just can't imagine a Tesla driver on a bicycle.  I don't think their ego would shrink that much.


Here is a link to HOPR: https://gohopr.com/platform/

Here is a link to the City of Fremont's info on HOPR: https://fremont.gov/3278/Shared-Bike-and-Scooters

Fire Reported in the Lab at Tesla

FFD is responding to Tesla for a report of a fire in the lab.  Fire companies are now arriving and have a working fire in the lab.  Doesn't sound like a big deal now.  May release some engines.
Update:  A 10 foot by 6 foot piece of machinery is on fire.  The fire crew does not know what the machine is.   The sprinklers did not activate.  Attacking the fire with water now.
At 9:33 p.m. they report knock down on the fire but there is plenty of smoke in the building.  Truck crew on the roof working on opening the vents.  The machine that was on fire had something to do with battery testing per employees in the area.

Audio Available From Last Night's Chase

If anyone is interested in listening to the audio from the Fremont PD chase at 9 last night, use the link below.  The pursuit started about 15 seconds before the clip starts and runs for 30 minutes.
Note:  I could not get it to work on Chrome, but the link worked fine on Firefox and Safari


https://soundcloud.com/user-439267895/20190720-880chase

High Speed Chase of Burglary Suspects

An auto burglary crew was pursued up the Nimitz Freeway at speeds of up to 110 mph this evening.  Officers have been on the look out for this vehicle after witnesses saw auto burglary suspects from the Ranch 99 in Warm Springs leave in the silver Mazda SUV.  Occupants of this same vehicle may be responsible for auto burglaries earlier this evening in Milpitas and several yesterday here in Fremont.  Two FPD officers observed the Mazda on Mowry and followed it onto northbound 880 where the pursuit began.  By Decoto they had reached speeds of 100 mph.  As they passed Alvarado-Niles going 110 MPH, the driver of the Mazda lost control in moderate traffic, hit the sound wall in the center divide and flipped over multiple times.  Air bags were deployed.  At least two other vehicles were involved but the extend of injuries, if any, are unknown.  At least 3 suspects were taken into custody and two were transported to a local trauma center.  CHP was notified and they shut down the northbound lanes of 880 for at least an hour.  There are no reports of injuries to officers.