Two guys were arrested in Oakland over the weekend for firing paintballs at eight random passersby and one dog. A cop said, "I know a lot of people use it more like a toy, but without the proper gear or equipment it can actually cause injury or death." There's a very detailed shot-by-shot account of the incident in the Oakland Trib -- this would be even better if it were illustrated with a Family Circus Jeffy-walks-around-the-neighborhood dotted-line style picture.

Authorities think a body that they found in the bay in Oakland is a man who jumped into the water with a knife and repeatedly refused assistance from the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard says they tossed him a life ring numerous times but he swam away from it each time. This reminds us of that homily about the man who's sitting on a roof of a flooding house and refuses to get on two rescue boats and a helicopter, saying God will provide.

There's been a fourth armed robbery in Palo Alto, this time of a Stanford grad student walking to his on-campus housing. The police department has provided a sketch of the suspects and suggests walking in groups at night.