Attacks by Teen Groups Rising in D.C. and Nation

While this article is mostly about NW Washington, DC, San Francisco neighborhoods have also been dealing with an increase in robberies and muggings.

Attacks by Teen Groups Rising in D.C. and Nation

By Theola Labbé-DeBose
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 13, 2008; B01

D.C. police say they are seeing a growing number of teenagers and young adults traveling in groups to assault and rob unsuspecting citizens, a trend that mirrors crimes in cities across the country.

In an eight-hour period last week, five people were attacked by juveniles in separate incidents, including an armed carjacking, in the Southwest waterfront neighborhood. And in the past month, there have been between seven and 11 "pack robberies" in or near Adams Morgan in Northwest Washington, Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said.

Similar attacks have occurred in the Brookland area of Northeast and Chinatown. Police said the crimes are not necessarily related but are part of an increase that has led to heightened enforcement.

"They're looking for someone who has a cellphone or someone using an iPod. Or they're just looking for some fast cash or a credit card," Lanier said Friday at a news conference in Adams Morgan, where she announced that there will be more patrols there. "You'll have a lone person walking, and there are five young males or more, and it's ridiculous. There's no need to beat people in those circumstances, but that's what they do. Just senseless."

The attacks in Southwest unfolded between 5 p.m. Monday and 1 a.m. Tuesday. The trouble began when five teenagers on bicycles attacked a man from behind, pushed him to the ground, hit him in the face and stomach, and fled. Police said they think that the attackers were between 16 and 18 years old.

A 52-year-old lawyer suffered serious head trauma after four to six teenagers beat him in the 1000 block of Sixth Street SW about 9 p.m. Monday. Later Monday, also in Southwest, two teenagers stuck a gun in a man's face, slapped him and demanded his belongings, police said. After the victim said he didn't have anything, the teenagers fled, police said.

In another incident, a man was hit in the head from behind with a brick. And three youths confronted a Southwest resident early Tuesday in the 200 block of I Street SW, surprising him after he parked his car at an apartment building. After forcing a gun to his head, the youths stole $20 and his car and led a U.S. Capitol Police official on a chase until they crashed the car, authorities said. Canine units eventually forced Raymond Sturgis, 17, of the 200 block of K Street SW out of hiding, and he has been charged as an adult.

Irv Gamza, 83, who has lived in Southwest for more than four decades, said crimes committed by teenagers have become more serious in the past several years. "First they just annoy or harass people. Then they start getting physical. And then they rob," Gamza said.

Gamza, who is a member of the police Citizens' Advisory Council, said that if anyone in the neighborhood claims not to be afraid of groups of roaming juveniles, they "are just lying to themselves."

"You have some juveniles who are not bothering anyone. And you have some where you don't know under what condition you're going to have a problem," he said.

At a national violent-crime summit last week, sponsored by the nonprofit Police Executive Research Forum, police chiefs exchanged stories about the spate of robberies and juvenile crimes, Executive Director Chuck Wexler said.

In recent years, police in the District and other cities have dealt with spikes in robberies. Although the numbers posted by cities across the country decreased in the past two years, they remain higher than in 2004, Wexler said. In the District this year, there were 3,180 robberies as of Sept. 30, roughly the same as last year. The numbers for the month of September were up, however -- 413 compared with 388 last year -- based on preliminary statistics on the police Web site.

"Robbery is the number one crime accelerating across the country in large, medium and small areas," Wexler said.

The Police Executive Research Forum, which tracks statistics in 56 cities, has pinpointed an "explosive increase" of juveniles participating in robberies, Wexler said. In Minneapolis, police and government officials created a juvenile unit just to deal with the rising crime in that area, he said.

Lanier, who attended the crime summit, was struck by the parallels between the recent attacks in the District and those in other cities.

"I talked to a lot of chiefs at a conference the other day -- there were 180 chiefs and sheriffs from around the country -- and every one was saying the same thing: that this has become a real crime trend," Lanier said.

Bryan Weaver, an advisory neighborhood commissioner in Adams Morgan, said he is concerned that more robberies are occurring on neighborhood streets away from the main commercial strip along 18th Street NW.

"Right now, the major concern of residents is that people are putting guns to their faces when they're coming home from work or dinner," he said.

Staff writers Paul Duggan and Martin Weil contributed to this report.
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SF Guardian Angels mentioned in the SF Chronicle

I recently attended a community meeting in the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco in regards to the recent spike in street crime, and a San Francisco Chronicle reporter wrote about the meeting online today.

Never fear! The angels are here.

Lance Iverson/The Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?blogid=55&entry_id=31230

The Oakland chapter of the Guardian Angels patrols Grand Avenue in April.
We last wrote about the San Francisco Guardian Angels four years ago, when they flew into the Mission District (more recently, an East Bay chapter offered help to Oakland residents). Now, the volunteer patrol group is offering a helping hand to the Bernal Heights and Glen Park neighborhoods, which have been hit hard in recent months by an increase in muggings and other street crimes.

The group's assistant chapter leader recently reached out with an email, and subsequently attended a community meeting, where many people appeared receptive to the idea. Nothing's official yet, but it looks likely that the Angels will be patrolling a bit further south in not too long.

By the way -- you can read about their Mission District exploits here.

Posted By: Marisa Lagos (Email) | October 08 2008 at 01:37 PM

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Glen Park business owners attacked

While Oakland has been hit lately by take-over robberies at restaurants throughout the city, San Francisco has not been immune. If you are a restaurant owner or worker and would like the help of the San Francisco Guardian Angels in protecting your business and patrons, please contact us at:


Store owner beaten and stabbed in S.F. heist

Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Armed robbers beat and stabbed the owner of a corner grocery store in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood late Friday night, and another store employee was kidnapped and later released, police reported.

Paul Park, who owns Buddies Market at the corner of Chenery and Diamond streets, was getting ready to go home around 11 p.m. when he was confronted by three or four suspects who reportedly broke in through the rear door.

"The suspects beat and stabbed the store's owner, robbed the store of cash and kidnapped an employee. The suspects escaped by stealing the store's van. The employee was released in Daly City," San Francisco police Capt. Denis O'Leary wrote in a crime alert he e-mailed to neighborhood residents and merchants.

He described the suspects as black males wearing dark clothing.

Park, who had been bound and gagged and was suffering from multiple stab wounds, managed to cross the street and seek help at Le P'tit Laurent, a French bistro.

"It was really scary, really terrible," said owner Laurent Legendre, who summoned police.

Park was in critical condition at San Francisco General Hospital Saturday. The name and condition of the employee who was kidnapped were not immediately available.

Park is known by neighbors as a hardworking businessman who puts in long hours at his mom-and-pop store.

The store's van, which was used in the getaway, is still missing. It is a tan-colored 2002 Toyota Siena, with California license plate No. 4VHN307. Police ask anyone who spots the van to call 911.

Anyone with additional information about the crime is asked to call the SFPD robbery unit at (415) 553-1201 during normal business hours or the operations center after hours at (415) 553-1071.

E-mail Rachel Gordon at rgordon@sfchronicle.com

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/31/BAFJ12LP7S.DTL

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