Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: Purse Snatching, Residential Burglaries, Car Side Mirror Fetish

A woman was kocked to the ground before her purse was stolen in a morning robbery on Hillside Avenue.

Incidents highlighted in the blotter were recorded in the Piedmont Police Department log Nov. 12-19. Information was supplied by the police and does not indicate any convictions.

A woman arriving for her job at a home in the 200 block of Hillside Avenue was knocked to the ground and had her purse stolen in a daytime robbery on Nov. 21, according to a Piedmont police spokesman.

Detective George Phifer said the woman had parked her car and was walking through the grounds of the home when she was shoved from behind just before 8 a.m. Her attacker took her purse, then got into the passenger side of a white sedan, which drove away toward Oakland Avenue, Phifer said.

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The victim received minor scrapes but no serious injuries, he said.

The woman described the robber as a black male adult, 25 to 30 years old, about 5'5" to 56" tall with a slender build. He was wearing a black hoodie, she told police.

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There's Something About Side Mirrors

Side mirrors on about 16 vehicles were damaged or stolen on Nov. 22, Phifer said. The targeted vehicles were parked in the 200 block of Greenbank Avenue and the 200 and 300 blocks of Jerome Avenue. In the 400 block of Jerome, a resident reported that the rear window of his vehicle was shattered.

Phifer said police suspect the damage and thefts were done by juveniles.

Depending on the make and model of the vehicle, list prices for replacement mirrors range from under $100 to over $600, not including labor costs.

MONDAY, NOV. 19

Home burglary — Someone kicked in the front door of a home in the 300 block of Olive Avenue between 9:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. and stole two watches, nine rosaries and miscellaneous costume jewelry. 

Home burglary #2 — Residents of the 100 block of Oakmont Avenue arrived home about 4:50 p.m. to find that someone had placed a ladder under a rear office window, torn the screen and opened the window. The burglar apparently entered the home through the window but left through a side door, leaving the door open behind them, police said. Jewelry and a sterling silver hairbrush and mirror set were stolen.

Fallen tree — A tree fell in the 1700 block of Trestle Glen Road about 11 p.m., knocking down a streetlight and a power pole. PG&E and city public works staff responded.

TUESDAY, NOV. 20

Tree down — A tree fell in the 100 block of Monticello Avenue about 11 a.m., damaging the roof of a home and a vehicle.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 21

Petty theft — Someone rummaged through two vehicles parked in the 500 block of Boulevard Way during the night, taking a Taylor Swift CD from one vehicle and prescription sunglasses from the other.

Burglary — A thief cut the lock on a storage shed in the 300 block of Howard Avenue and stole tools and a bicycle.

Garage burglary — Thieves rifled through two unlocked vehicles and stole a girl's 12-speed bicycle from an open garage in 100 block of Dracena Avenue Monday night, a resident reported. Items missing from the vehicles included a laptop computer and about $5 in quarters.

THURSDAY, NOV. 22

Vehicle accident, minor injuries — A woman reported injuries but refused ambulance services after an accident about 8:30 a.m. at Red Rock Road and Moraga Avenue. AAA towed the vehicle at the owner's request.

Fallen tree limb — A large branch fell into the road near the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Nova Drive. Police spotted the fallen limb shortly before 10 p.m. The city's Public Works Department was advised.

SATURDAY, NOV. 24

Vehicle recovery — Piedmont police located a black Land Rover that had been stolen in Oakland and abandoned in the 300 block of Hillside Avenue. The SUV was in drivable condition and was released to its owner.

Petty theft — Someone rifled through an unlocked vehicle parked in the first block of Manor Drive and stole loose change.

Auto theft attempt? — A resident of the 900 block of Kingston Avenue reported that she saw a man "coming out of her vehicle" about 10:40 p.m. The man took off on foot. Police were unable to locate him.

MONDAY, NOV. 26

Not a burglar — A Blair Avenue man reported seeing a flashlight downstairs in his home about 2:05 a.m. Turns out the TV was still on.

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