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Man in Trump Mask and Santa Beard Allegedly Shoots Brother-in-Law in Sonoma County

A Las Vegas man is accused of showing up in Sonoma County a little late for Christmas on Saturday, dressed in a Santa beard, Santa hat, and a Donald Trump mask, and creating a ruse to lure his former brother-in-law out of his house so that he could shoot him.

Convicted Killer Charged In 32-Year-Old Cold-Case Kidnapping and Murder of 9-Year-Old in the East Bay

The disappearance of nine-year-old Michaela Garecht, who was grabbed in a supermarket parking lot in Hayward a few days before Thanksgiving in 1988, made national headlines. And only now have investigators charged a man who was already in prison for another murder.

Oakland and San Francisco Police Arrest Pair of Rape Suspects

Two men were arrested this week on sexual assault and other charges in unrelated cases, with witnesses on a San Francisco Muni helping to identify one of the suspects.

Burglaries, Arsons, and Car Thefts Are All Up Significantly in SF Over Last Year

Crime was expected to go down with shelter-in-place orders back at the beginning of the pandemic, and for a short time, it did. But in San Francisco, the nature of the crimes being committed most often may have shifted, but there's still plenty of bad stuff going on all over town.

Third Suspect Arrested in Killing of Two Teens at Union City Elementary School

Both an 11-year-old and a 14-year-old were shot and killed at Searles Elementary School a year ago, but Alameda County authorities now think they’ve apprehended all the suspects.

Suspect Arrested In February Homicide Following Muni Bus Altercation

A 38-year-old Piedmont man has been arrested and charged in the homicide of a San Francisco man, following a fight between the two men that began on a Muni bus.

Two Suspects At Large After Noe Valley Robbery and Shooting

A 42-year-old man was left with life-threatening injuries after being shot twice while fleeing from two suspects during a Sunday night mugging in Noe Valley.

Gunman On Loose Following Friday Morning Shooting in SoMa

The SPFD is hunting for a suspect following a shooting this morning in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood.

Former YouTube Engineer Enters No-Contest Plea In Acid-Fueled Bodega Bay Rampage

A 33-year-old man who had done too much acid while vacationing with friends in Bodega Bay last year, and who subsequently went on a violent rampage that injured several people before getting shot by police, has pleaded no contest.

Tenderloin Suspect Racks Up 13th Vehicle Theft Arrest in Just 18 Months

In what must be a record run, the SFPD Tenderloin unit this week arrested a suspect for their 13th vehicle theft in a mere year and a half.

25-Year-Old San Francisco Woman Killed In East Oakland Saturday Night

A woman was fatally shot and a man was wounded in Saturday night shootings in East Oakland that took place within minutes of each other.

Video Emerges of Police Shooting Outside Westfield Mall; Suspect Remains In Critical Condition

An eyewitness video appeared on Instagram Wednesday showing, at least from one angle, how an incident unfolded on the Market Street sidewalk outside the Westfield shopping center Tuesday evening in which a man was shot by SFPD officers.

SFPD Officers Shoot Man Wielding Large Knife Outside Westfield Mall

A man who was reportedly acting erratically and refusing to comply with police commands while waving around a large knife on Tuesday evening was shot and wounded by police.

Grab-and-Run Thieves Wearing Ankle-Monitors Swipe $54K Worth of YSL Purses in Union Square

Grab-and-run thievery is nothing new at the high-end shops around Union Square, but despite the best efforts of security guards and a network of cameras, the thieves keep coming back during the pandemic.

SFPD Makes Arrest In Violent Tenderloin Kidnapping and Robbery; Suspect Freed Pending Charges

An arrest has been made in a case that made headlines from Halloween weekend, in which a 26-year-old man was kidnapped, beaten, shot, robbed, and dumped naked and bleeding by a roadside in San Francisco.

South Bay Woman Confesses to Embezzlement Scheme, and the Faked Assault and Fire She Set to Cover It Up

It's a crime story straight out of a Coen Brothers' script. Authorities in Saratoga this week arrested a 74-year-old San Jose woman in a bizarre cover-up designed to throw them off the trail of an embezzlement scheme in which her employer was the victim.

SFPD Seeks Motorcyclist Who Struck 90-Year-Old Woman in Diamond Heights Hit-and-Run

San Francisco police are seeking the public's help in locating a motorcyclist suspected in a hit-and-run Wednesday afternoon that badly injured a 90-year-old woman.

Two Wednesday Shootings In Bernal Heights and Bayview Now Under Investigation

There were a pair of shootings in San Francisco on Wednesday, one of them fatal, in two different neighborhoods, about eight hours apart.

Marauding Groups of Looters Target Multiple Retail Stores Across the East Bay

A memo seems to have gone out to would-be looters that this week was going to be a good time to hit some stores in the East Bay, with a CVS, a Big 5, and a sneaker shop all targeted.

Oakland Sees Night Of Chaos With Multiple Shootings, Pot Burglaries

Rumors and fears of potential unrest gave way to at least two burglaries at marijuana businesses in Oakland, one of which led to an officer-involved shooting. Other shootings elsewhere in Oakland resulted in six people being injured.

Young Man Kidnapped, Beaten, Shot, and Robbed Near Civic Center Saturday Morning

The SFPD is seeking two suspects in an SUV who allegedly kidnapped a man in his 20s near Civic Center on Saturday morning, and later dropped him on the street, badly injured and partially naked.

Business & Tech

Former Santa Clara Police Captain Pleads Guilty In Bizarre eBay Cyberstalking Case

55-year-old former Santa Clara police captain Philip Cooke entered a guilty plea in federal court in Boston Tuesday, joining six other former eBay employees implicated in a wackadoo intimidation scheme aimed at a couple of Boston-based bloggers.

Sacramento Sex Worker Who Kidnapped Teen In San Francisco and Trafficked Her Gets Almost Seven Years

A Sacramento woman who had herself been forced into prostitution at a young age was formally sentenced on Thursday for her role in recruiting and grooming a 15-year-old girl who was forced into prostitution three years ago.

Man Charged With Hate Crimes for Swastika Painted on Temple Has Sordid Berkeley Past

The last thing Jewish people want to see is a swastika, ever. The Nazi symbol is especially unsettling on the front door of a synagogue, but that’s exactly what was found this week at Oakland’s Temple Sinai.

Driver of Stolen U-Haul Dies Following Pursuit in SF, Jump Into Bay

The driver of a stolen U-Haul truck died early Thursday morning after trying to evade police and jumping into San Francisco Bay.