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Crime & Safety

Police Log: Suspected Car Thief Admits Targeting Fremont

Dad uses kid's backpack to shoplift, armed robberies, two car fires and more from Aug. 15 to 21.

The following is a summary of significant crime and incidents reported in Fremont between Aug. 15 and 21 as released by the Fremont Police Department. 

Wednesday, Aug. 21
  • Bill Ball intoxicated regular. Due to citizen complaints of on-going illegal and disorderly conduct at Bill Ball Plaza, police stepped up their presence there, and at 4:50 p.m. encountered a 64-year-old "regular" -- stopped or cited at the site more than a dozen times since May. He was warned that if he continued to drink or possessed open containers that he could be arrested. The individual said he understood, but an hour later was sitting on a retaining wall openly drinking from a bottle of alcohol, which he tried concealing in a bag after spotting the officer. At this point, the officer determined the man was intoxicated and unable to care for himself, and arrested him for public intoxication.
  • Suspect arrested in stolen vehicle from targeted Fremont. A Chevy Trailblazer was reported stolen at 2:30 a.m. from a Magellan Drive home whose resident said he woke to a “clicking sound” and the loud sound of his exhaust system and engine. Through a window, he saw his vehicle being driven away northbound on Magellan towards Nicolet Avenue. Within 20 minutes, officers located the vehicle on northbound I-880 and, once additional officers caught up, stopped the car and its driver -- a 20-year-old Oakland man who was compliant -- at Marina Boulevard in San Leandro.  The subject was arrested for suspected auto theft. A Chevy key was in the now-damaged ignition. The suspect told officers he came to Fremont to steal vehicles ... and was going "back home where he would get paid" for them.  

  • Suspicious car fire. A Bidwell Drive resident called police at 1:50 a.m. to report their car was on fire in their driveway. As officials processed the scene, a resident claimed to have seen someone in their backyard.  A perimeter was setup and a K9 search done, but no one was located.  The investigation is ongoing.
Tuesday, Aug. 20
  • 7-Eleven stick-up. The 7-Eleven store at Stevenson Boulevard and Farewell Drive was robbed at gunpoint of an undisclosed amount of cash at approximately 10:05 p.m. by a suspect who displayed to employees a wooden-handled gun in his waistband. The suspect was described as a heavy-set Hispanic male adult, six feet tall and 300 pounds. This case is similar to one officers are investigating from last week in Ardenwood, police said. 
  • 19-Year-Old Fremont resident killed in East Palo Alto shooting. Raymond Lewin-Phipps was found dead in East Palo Alto Tuesday night, according to media reports. Story here.
  • Big rig collides with multiple vehicles, westbound Auto Mall Parkway closed. Story here.
Monday, Aug. 19
  • Chaos ensues after handbag swiped from grocery cart. Two men stole a woman’s purse off her shopping cart at Lucky on Mowry Avenue and fled the store. While a store employee assisted the female to her car, the vehicle's trunk suddenly popped opened. Suspecting the thieves were using the stolen keys to find her car, the woman called police. Officers reviewed store video, then located the two suspects near Denny’s restaurant. During the detention, one suspect abruptly took off on foot. Nearly an hour later, a witness reported the suspect was hiding under a Residence Inn dumpster. Officers attempted to detain the suspect, who resisted and was Tased and taken into custody. An 18-year-old male was booked for theft, and the tired 19-year-old accomplice was booked for theft and resisting arrest. Both are Newark residents.
Sunday, Aug. 18
  • Stolen vehicle. A truck was reported stolen sometime overnight from the east parking lot of 36000 Fremont Boulevard. 
  • Stolen vehicle recovered. While conducting a security check at Motel 6 (North), an officer located a Honda Accord reported stolen out of Hayward. 
Saturday, Aug. 17
  • Acting odd with meth and a gun. Officers investigating a suspicious vehicle near Mateo Court spoke to the motorist, a Fremont man, 35, who was moving around inside the car as if reaching for something. Police asked him to step out of the vehicle. A firearm was in plain view on the floor board, and it was determined the man was under the influence of a stimulant. His car also reportedly contained suspected methamphetamine. 
  • Police searching for suspects in armed robbery. Story here.
Friday, Aug. 16
  • Police still seeking suspect in last week's hit-and-run. More here.
  • Arson arrest. A car fire was reported at 1:46 a.m. in the Carrington Apartments parking lot. Officers observed a suspicious vehicle nearby and pursued it, but the driver refused to pull over and crashed into another vehicle on Blacow Road at Thornton Avenue.  The male driver, 33 from Hayward, was arrested after a short foot chase.   

  • Togo's break-in. A commercial burglary was reported at Togo’s restaurant on Grimmer Boulevard with unknown suspects smashing a window between 5:30 a.m. and 5:40 a.m. A security guard responded; losses were not yet determined. 
  • Split-second motorcycle theft. A man left his motorcycle, a red 2003 Yamaha, running at about 12:45 p.m. in front of his house on the 4600 block of Hansen Avenue when he briefly stepped back inside his home. While inside, he heard the engine rev, ran back outside and saw a Hispanic or white male, wearing a sleeveless T-shirt and black motorcycle helmet with white stripes, ride off with his vehicle.
Thursday, Aug. 15
  • Topless woman and possible break-in at motel. Good Nite Inn staff called police over a possible room break-in. Another person informed officers that a female was walking around topless near the room in question. In the end, an Oakland woman, 20, was arrested for being under the influence of drugs.  

Find out what's happening in Fremontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Shoplifter stashes loot in son's backpack. A Salinas man, 38, was arrested for suspected theft after Fry’s Electronics employees caught him concealing items in a backpack worn by his 4- to 5-year-old son. 

 Anyone with information about any crime in Fremont is asked to contact the Fremont Police Department at 510-790-6900 or by submitting a tip online at www.fremontpolice.org/tip. 

Find out what's happening in Fremontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


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