Archive
Archive for March 13, 2009
Police investigate North Carolina quadruple murder www.privateofficer.com
March 13, 2009
Leave a comment
Police investigate North Carolina quadruple murder http://www.privateofficer.com
CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. Mar 13 2009 — A teenage girl watched helplessly as her friend was pulled into her home and attacked in a quadruple homicide early Thursday, investigators said.
During a press conference Thursday afternoon, Catawba County sheriff’s deputies said the teen saw a man run around and into the back of her friend’s home on Gristmill Drive off Houston Mill Road north of Conover when she went to pick her up for school. She told authorities that as they were driving to Bunker Hill High School, she told 18-year-old Pauline Chao — identified by family members — what she had seen, and Chao asked her to go back to the house.
When they arrived at the home shortly before 7 a.m., Chao opened the front door. Investigators said the man inside reached out, pulled the girl in and attacked her.
The friend drove off and called 911. Meanwhile, residents of the Millstone neighborhood said they heard screams.
When officers arrived, they found Chao, along with her mother, Lisa Saephan, her sister, 20-year-old Melanie Saephan, and her brother, 3-year-old Cody Saechao, all dead of gunshot and stab wounds. Family members provided their names to Eyewitness News.
Investigators said their father left for work early in the morning and was working out of the area when the attack happened. They said he has been ruled out as a suspect.
The man believed to be the killer was seen running behind the home after the slaying. The back door of the house was left open. Investigators found a gun in bushes a short distance away just after noon, and they believe it is connected to the killings.
Authorities said they are looking for a man in his late 30s or early 40s, who is about 5 feet 4 inches tall, wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans or sweatpants. They said the man is either Hispanic or of Asian decent.
The man is believed to be in a black or dark blue newer model Toyota Camry with the partial license plate P24. It was parked about two blocks from the house. The license plate is from out of state and has red, white and blue lettering.
Investigators said the killer has likely left the immediate area.
“In this particular situation, we have put all resources out. We pulled our men off the roads and out of the office and we’re checking every lead that we can,” said Sheriff David Huffman.
The sheriff said he doesn’t believe the attack was random, but that the killer knew the victims. Investigators have not speculated on a motive.
The State Bureau of Investigation is assisting local authorities in the investigation.
For several hours after the homicides, four nearby schools were on modified lockdowns, which meant that all exterior doors were locked and there were no outside activities for students. Those schools are Lyle Creek Elementary, Oxford Elementary, River Bend Middle and Bunker Hill High schools.
Family, Friends Grieve For Slain Family
Several family members went to the home to grieve on Thursday, and church members gathered to pray nearby.
“They didn’t do anything wrong,” said Tiffany Faephan, a cousin of the three children. “I mean, I don’t know what they could have done to deserve this. No one deserves this.”
People began leaving flowers outside the crime tape late Thursday afternoon, while neighbors said they are in shock.
“It doesn’t make sense to us at all. We don’t know what’s wrong,” said Seng Satern, who has known the family for seven years.
“This is really unreal,” said Nai Saevang, another cousin of the victims. “This whole thing — I just can’t believe it.
Classmates of the sisters said they spent the day trying to find out what happened by texting friends and family. They said the only thing they knew for sure was that many had lost a friend.
Natasha Millsaps attends Catawba Valley Community College, where Melanie Saephan was one of her good friends.
“I was like, ‘No, not Melanie,’ I just talked to her the other day,” she said.
Samantha Keoshkhao, who goes to Bunker Hill High School where Chao was a senior, said the teen was a great friend.
“I was friends with her since like the sixth grade. She was funny, outgoing, and she was really laid back,” she said.
By noon Thursday, students, teachers and administrators had all heard the news about the slaying, but no specific details.
Students said everyone was scrambling to get any information they could while coping with the tragedy.
“There’s a lot of people who are really overwhelmed by it because they never thought something like that would happen around here,” a classmate said.
During a press conference Thursday afternoon, Catawba County sheriff’s deputies said the teen saw a man run around and into the back of her friend’s home on Gristmill Drive off Houston Mill Road north of Conover when she went to pick her up for school. She told authorities that as they were driving to Bunker Hill High School, she told 18-year-old Pauline Chao — identified by family members — what she had seen, and Chao asked her to go back to the house.
When they arrived at the home shortly before 7 a.m., Chao opened the front door. Investigators said the man inside reached out, pulled the girl in and attacked her.
The friend drove off and called 911. Meanwhile, residents of the Millstone neighborhood said they heard screams.
When officers arrived, they found Chao, along with her mother, Lisa Saephan, her sister, 20-year-old Melanie Saephan, and her brother, 3-year-old Cody Saechao, all dead of gunshot and stab wounds. Family members provided their names to Eyewitness News.
Investigators said their father left for work early in the morning and was working out of the area when the attack happened. They said he has been ruled out as a suspect.
The man believed to be the killer was seen running behind the home after the slaying. The back door of the house was left open. Investigators found a gun in bushes a short distance away just after noon, and they believe it is connected to the killings.
Authorities said they are looking for a man in his late 30s or early 40s, who is about 5 feet 4 inches tall, wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans or sweatpants. They said the man is either Hispanic or of Asian decent.
The man is believed to be in a black or dark blue newer model Toyota Camry with the partial license plate P24. It was parked about two blocks from the house. The license plate is from out of state and has red, white and blue lettering.
Investigators said the killer has likely left the immediate area.
“In this particular situation, we have put all resources out. We pulled our men off the roads and out of the office and we’re checking every lead that we can,” said Sheriff David Huffman.
The sheriff said he doesn’t believe the attack was random, but that the killer knew the victims. Investigators have not speculated on a motive.
The State Bureau of Investigation is assisting local authorities in the investigation.
For several hours after the homicides, four nearby schools were on modified lockdowns, which meant that all exterior doors were locked and there were no outside activities for students. Those schools are Lyle Creek Elementary, Oxford Elementary, River Bend Middle and Bunker Hill High schools.
Family, Friends Grieve For Slain Family
Several family members went to the home to grieve on Thursday, and church members gathered to pray nearby.
“They didn’t do anything wrong,” said Tiffany Faephan, a cousin of the three children. “I mean, I don’t know what they could have done to deserve this. No one deserves this.”
People began leaving flowers outside the crime tape late Thursday afternoon, while neighbors said they are in shock.
“It doesn’t make sense to us at all. We don’t know what’s wrong,” said Seng Satern, who has known the family for seven years.
“This is really unreal,” said Nai Saevang, another cousin of the victims. “This whole thing — I just can’t believe it.
Classmates of the sisters said they spent the day trying to find out what happened by texting friends and family. They said the only thing they knew for sure was that many had lost a friend.
Natasha Millsaps attends Catawba Valley Community College, where Melanie Saephan was one of her good friends.
“I was like, ‘No, not Melanie,’ I just talked to her the other day,” she said.
Samantha Keoshkhao, who goes to Bunker Hill High School where Chao was a senior, said the teen was a great friend.
“I was friends with her since like the sixth grade. She was funny, outgoing, and she was really laid back,” she said.
By noon Thursday, students, teachers and administrators had all heard the news about the slaying, but no specific details.
Students said everyone was scrambling to get any information they could while coping with the tragedy.
“There’s a lot of people who are really overwhelmed by it because they never thought something like that would happen around here,” a classmate said.
Categories: police
4 family killed, CATAWBA COUNTY, Cody Saechao, family killed, Lisa Saephan, Melanie Saephan, N.C, Pauline Chao
Two Crestview Florida police brothers arrested in brawl www.privateofficer.com
March 13, 2009
Leave a comment
Two Crestview Florida police brothers arrested in brawl http://www.privateofficer.com
Crestview FLA. March 13 2009
Two Crestview Police officers were arrested after an altercation with security and deputies at The Swamp nightclub early Thursday morning following a Ying Yang Twins concert.
Bryan Crawford was arrested for felony battery on a law enforcement officer and disorderly intoxication. His brother, Danny Crawford, was arrested for resisting an officer without violence and disorderly intoxication.
Just before 1 a.m., Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the rear deck area of the Boardwalk where they found Bryan Crawford pacing and talking about defending “some girl,” the report said.
Security at The Swamp told deputies they had escorted Bryan and Danny Crawford to the deck and asked them to leave after they caused a disturbance. The report said club security told deputies Bryan Crawford fought with the doorman as they attempted to remove him from the club.
A deputy took off Bryan’s club wristband and told him he needed to leave, but Bryan refused to follow instructions. Another man said he’d take care of Bryan, but Bryan began speaking loudly and turned back towards the deputy and security staff.
The report said the deputy approached Bryan and took hold of his right arm to escort him away from the area. Bryan shoved the deputy away and they began to struggle. Another deputy came to assist and they moved Bryan toward the deck railing. The railing gave way and the men fell onto the sand where Bryan continued to resist, the report said.
Bryan Crawford began to say repeatedly, “I’m a cop. I’m a cop.” The report said before the deputies could get handcuffs on Bryan, his brother, Danny, grabbed Bryan’s collar and tried to pull him away from the deputies.
After the deputies handcuffed Bryan, he said, “So this is what it feels like in handcuffs,” adding again that he was a police officer.
The report said that both Crawfords were told to sit on the ground and they were “laughing and did not appear to be concerned about their situation.”
The Sheriff’s Office contacted the Crestview Police Department to tell them what had happened and that two employees were detained. The report said Sgt. Matt Purvines told the Sheriff’s Office the Crestview Police Department would support whatever action deputies needed to take.
When Bryan Crawford was placed in the back of a patrol car, he spit on the window and put both his feet onto a window as if he was preparing to kick it out, the report said. He was then secured in the vehicle by a seatbelt harness and warned against further spitting and kicking.
As he was being transported to booking, Bryan Crawford asked repeatedly why he was being arrested for defending “some girl.”
Two Crestview Police officers were arrested after an altercation with security and deputies at The Swamp nightclub early Thursday morning following a Ying Yang Twins concert.
Bryan Crawford was arrested for felony battery on a law enforcement officer and disorderly intoxication. His brother, Danny Crawford, was arrested for resisting an officer without violence and disorderly intoxication.
Just before 1 a.m., Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the rear deck area of the Boardwalk where they found Bryan Crawford pacing and talking about defending “some girl,” the report said.
Security at The Swamp told deputies they had escorted Bryan and Danny Crawford to the deck and asked them to leave after they caused a disturbance. The report said club security told deputies Bryan Crawford fought with the doorman as they attempted to remove him from the club.
A deputy took off Bryan’s club wristband and told him he needed to leave, but Bryan refused to follow instructions. Another man said he’d take care of Bryan, but Bryan began speaking loudly and turned back towards the deputy and security staff.
The report said the deputy approached Bryan and took hold of his right arm to escort him away from the area. Bryan shoved the deputy away and they began to struggle. Another deputy came to assist and they moved Bryan toward the deck railing. The railing gave way and the men fell onto the sand where Bryan continued to resist, the report said.
Bryan Crawford began to say repeatedly, “I’m a cop. I’m a cop.” The report said before the deputies could get handcuffs on Bryan, his brother, Danny, grabbed Bryan’s collar and tried to pull him away from the deputies.
After the deputies handcuffed Bryan, he said, “So this is what it feels like in handcuffs,” adding again that he was a police officer.
The report said that both Crawfords were told to sit on the ground and they were “laughing and did not appear to be concerned about their situation.”
The Sheriff’s Office contacted the Crestview Police Department to tell them what had happened and that two employees were detained. The report said Sgt. Matt Purvines told the Sheriff’s Office the Crestview Police Department would support whatever action deputies needed to take.
When Bryan Crawford was placed in the back of a patrol car, he spit on the window and put both his feet onto a window as if he was preparing to kick it out, the report said. He was then secured in the vehicle by a seatbelt harness and warned against further spitting and kicking.
As he was being transported to booking, Bryan Crawford asked repeatedly why he was being arrested for defending “some girl.”
The report said the officer explained he was arrested for his actions once he was outside the club. Bryan Crawford said he didn’t know who the officer was during the altercation. The officer replied, “What am I wearing?” He was in uniform.
Nightclub security told deputies the incident began when a female at The Swamp identified Bryan Crawford as the man who had been grabbing her in the crotch area, the report said. Swamp security witnessed Bryan grab the woman in her crotch area four times. The report said Bryan Crawford was asked to stop and shoved the head of security backwards.
Deputies also noted in the offense report that both Crawfords had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on their breath.
Nightclub security told deputies the incident began when a female at The Swamp identified Bryan Crawford as the man who had been grabbing her in the crotch area, the report said. Swamp security witnessed Bryan grab the woman in her crotch area four times. The report said Bryan Crawford was asked to stop and shoved the head of security backwards.
Deputies also noted in the offense report that both Crawfords had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on their breath.
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERSwww.privateofficer.com/
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Gameboy arrested for robbery at Target www.privateofficer.com
March 13, 2009
Leave a comment
Gameboy arrested for robbery at Target http://www.privateofficer.com
EDISON NJ Mar 13 2009 — A Perth Amboy man was arrested on robbery and assault charges after he scuffled with a Target security agent who caught him shoplifting, police said.
The loss prevention agent told police he saw Johnathon Okeefe leaving the store with video games concealed in his waistband at about 7:15 p.m. Saturday. Okeefe, 36, put the games in his car and went back inside to take more games, Lt. Joseph Shannon said.
The agent said he then confronted Okeefe and the men wrestled each other to the ground before other security agents arrived to subdue Okeefe.
Store officials recovered 13 games, worth more than $300, from Okeefe, who was arrested and charged with robbery and aggravated assault, Shannon said. He was taken to the Middlesex Adult Correction Center, then released after posting bail.
The security officer, 32, suffered a cut to his right hand.
The loss prevention agent told police he saw Johnathon Okeefe leaving the store with video games concealed in his waistband at about 7:15 p.m. Saturday. Okeefe, 36, put the games in his car and went back inside to take more games, Lt. Joseph Shannon said.
The agent said he then confronted Okeefe and the men wrestled each other to the ground before other security agents arrived to subdue Okeefe.
Store officials recovered 13 games, worth more than $300, from Okeefe, who was arrested and charged with robbery and aggravated assault, Shannon said. He was taken to the Middlesex Adult Correction Center, then released after posting bail.
The security officer, 32, suffered a cut to his right hand.
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERSwww.privateofficer.com/
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Categories: loss prevention, police, security made app/arrest, security officer injured
edison new jersey, Johnathon Okeefe, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, shoplifting arrest, target, www.privateofficer.com
Target disturbance lands teen in jail www.privateofficer.com
March 13, 2009
Leave a comment
Target disturbance lands teen in jail http://www.privateofficer.com
KINGSTON Ma March 13 2009 – A 16-year-old Plymouth boy was charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after he and a group of teenagers were asked to leave the parking lot outside Target at the Independence Mall Friday, March 6, police said.
Target security officers asked Kingston Police for assistance at 8:46 p.m. after the teens refused to leave the lot where they had parked their vehicle, Sgt. Zachary Potrykus said.
One of the teenagers, a girl, refused to leave and made a phone call while talking with the security officer. A second passenger began arguing with the officer, who told the boy if he did not leave, he would be arrested. Two Kingston Police officers who were on detail at the mall and a patrolling officer arrived as the boy began arguing louder with the security officer, and pushing his face within inches of the security officer’s face. After three warnings, the security officer grabbed the boy’s wrist and coat and attempted to arrest him. The boy struggled and refused to walk to the police cruiser. Police carried him to the cruiser.
Target security officers asked Kingston Police for assistance at 8:46 p.m. after the teens refused to leave the lot where they had parked their vehicle, Sgt. Zachary Potrykus said.
One of the teenagers, a girl, refused to leave and made a phone call while talking with the security officer. A second passenger began arguing with the officer, who told the boy if he did not leave, he would be arrested. Two Kingston Police officers who were on detail at the mall and a patrolling officer arrived as the boy began arguing louder with the security officer, and pushing his face within inches of the security officer’s face. After three warnings, the security officer grabbed the boy’s wrist and coat and attempted to arrest him. The boy struggled and refused to walk to the police cruiser. Police carried him to the cruiser.
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERSwww.privateofficer.com/
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Categories: Uncategorized
Armored car guard will face no charges in shooting www.privateofficer.com
March 13, 2009
Leave a comment
Armored car guard will face no charges in shooting http://www.privateofficer.com
HAVERHILL MA March 13 2009 — There will be no criminal charges against a Brinks guard who shot at two teenagers driving away from an attempted unarmed robbery, District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said.
Blodgett said after discussing the matter with his office’s lawyers, he made the decision not to prosecute the armored truck guard, who police said was the victim of the attempted robbery.
“We reviewed all the facts and circumstances and felt that it would not be in the interest of justice to bring any action against the guard,” Blodgett said yesterday.
Police said the teenagers were unarmed and the Riversedge Plaza, where the guard fired his gun, was a busy place with many people and cars in the area. When asked why the decision against criminal charges was made despite the circumstances of the shooting, Blodgett refused to give a further explanation. No one was hurt in the shooting.
At the time of the shooting, Deputy police Chief Donald Thompson said police were investigating the legality of the gunshot. Thompson said at the time that it would be illegal “99 percent of the time” for a police officer to fire his gun at an unarmed, fleeing suspect, and that the same may be true for a guard in a case like this.
Calls seeking comments from the teenagers’ defense lawyers on Blodgett’s decision were not returned yesterday. The lawyers have said the guard was not justified in firing his gun.
Police said that late on the morning of Jan. 14, Isaac Sosa, 18, of 100 Berkeley St., second floor, Lawrence, and Christopher Delarosa, 19, of 275 Andover Road, Billerica, tried to rob a Brinks armored truck guard who was about to replenish an ATM in a Bank of America kiosk at Riversedge Plaza.
Police said the Brinks guard fired his handgun at the car as Sosa and Delarosa drove away and that the bullet struck the rear of their car.
Sosa and Delarosa were arraigned in Haverhill District Court on unarmed robbery charges while Delarosa also was charged with assault and battery.
Sosa and Delarosa were subsequently indicted by an Essex County grand jury and arraigned in Salem Superior Court, where they were charged with intent to rob, which carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in a state prison, and unarmed robbery, which carries a potential term of up to life in a state prison.
Both charges can only be brought at the Superior Court level, said Stephen O’Connell, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office. Had their cases not been bumped up to Salem Superior Court by the grand jury indictment, they would not have faced the possibility of a life sentence.
Sosa and Delarosa are scheduled to appear April 1 in Salem Superior Court for a pretrial conference hearing.
During their initial arraignment in Haverhill, prosecutor John DePaulo said Sosa had waited nearby in his father’s car while Delarosa tried to rob the guard. DePaulo said Delarosa punched the guard in the face, made an unsuccessful grab for the bag of money, then fled in Sosa’s car. The men were captured minutes later by police on Route 125 in Plaistow, N.H.
Blodgett said after discussing the matter with his office’s lawyers, he made the decision not to prosecute the armored truck guard, who police said was the victim of the attempted robbery.
“We reviewed all the facts and circumstances and felt that it would not be in the interest of justice to bring any action against the guard,” Blodgett said yesterday.
Police said the teenagers were unarmed and the Riversedge Plaza, where the guard fired his gun, was a busy place with many people and cars in the area. When asked why the decision against criminal charges was made despite the circumstances of the shooting, Blodgett refused to give a further explanation. No one was hurt in the shooting.
At the time of the shooting, Deputy police Chief Donald Thompson said police were investigating the legality of the gunshot. Thompson said at the time that it would be illegal “99 percent of the time” for a police officer to fire his gun at an unarmed, fleeing suspect, and that the same may be true for a guard in a case like this.
Calls seeking comments from the teenagers’ defense lawyers on Blodgett’s decision were not returned yesterday. The lawyers have said the guard was not justified in firing his gun.
Police said that late on the morning of Jan. 14, Isaac Sosa, 18, of 100 Berkeley St., second floor, Lawrence, and Christopher Delarosa, 19, of 275 Andover Road, Billerica, tried to rob a Brinks armored truck guard who was about to replenish an ATM in a Bank of America kiosk at Riversedge Plaza.
Police said the Brinks guard fired his handgun at the car as Sosa and Delarosa drove away and that the bullet struck the rear of their car.
Sosa and Delarosa were arraigned in Haverhill District Court on unarmed robbery charges while Delarosa also was charged with assault and battery.
Sosa and Delarosa were subsequently indicted by an Essex County grand jury and arraigned in Salem Superior Court, where they were charged with intent to rob, which carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in a state prison, and unarmed robbery, which carries a potential term of up to life in a state prison.
Both charges can only be brought at the Superior Court level, said Stephen O’Connell, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office. Had their cases not been bumped up to Salem Superior Court by the grand jury indictment, they would not have faced the possibility of a life sentence.
Sosa and Delarosa are scheduled to appear April 1 in Salem Superior Court for a pretrial conference hearing.
During their initial arraignment in Haverhill, prosecutor John DePaulo said Sosa had waited nearby in his father’s car while Delarosa tried to rob the guard. DePaulo said Delarosa punched the guard in the face, made an unsuccessful grab for the bag of money, then fled in Sosa’s car. The men were captured minutes later by police on Route 125 in Plaistow, N.H.
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERSwww.privateofficer.com/
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox! Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox! Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Categories: security, security shoots
brinks robbery, christopher delarosa, HAVERHILL MA, Isaac Sosa, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com
Trespasser tries to rip out security officer’s eyes www.privateofficer.com
March 13, 2009
Leave a comment
Trespasser tries to rip out security officer’s eyes http://www.privateofficer.com
CASTRO VALLEY CA March 13 2009
insidebayarea.com — A Millbrae man remains in custody after allegedly beating and causing serious harm to a security guard about 9:30 p.m. Friday at the Castro Valley Village Shopping Center.
George Bjurberg, 22, was arrested Sunday in Castro Valley and is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
He is charged with assault with a deadly weapon, assault causing serious injury and robbery, said Alameda County Sheriff’s Sgt. David Dickson.
Reports show that for unspecified reasons, Bjurberg is not allowed on the premises of the Castro Valley Village Shopping Center.
A guard with Richmond-based Forbes Security saw Bjurberg at the shopping center and asked him to leave.
“At that point he starts threatening her,” Dickson said. “He says he’s going to kill her and that her days are numbered.”
The security guard, a 30-year-old Castro Valley woman, then watched Bjurberg walk away from the property.
She followed him to make sure he left and then was allegedly attacked by Bjurberg, Dickson said.
During the attack, the woman was punched in the face numerous times, was tackled onto a sidewalk and at one point was beaten on the head with her own flashlight.
“It was a fairly violent attack,” Dickson said. “He also attempted to rip out her eyeballs.”
The woman was taken to a hospital and was released after receiving treatment for her injuries, which included a 2-inch cut on her scalp, swelling on the back of her head and a bite on one of her fingers, Dickson said.
Witness descriptions clued deputies to a possible suspect and the security guard was able to identify Bjurberg in a photo lineup.
Deputies arrested Bjurberg after spotting him walking on Castro Valley Boulevard on Sunday morning.
His bail is set at $190,000.
insidebayarea.com — A Millbrae man remains in custody after allegedly beating and causing serious harm to a security guard about 9:30 p.m. Friday at the Castro Valley Village Shopping Center.
George Bjurberg, 22, was arrested Sunday in Castro Valley and is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
He is charged with assault with a deadly weapon, assault causing serious injury and robbery, said Alameda County Sheriff’s Sgt. David Dickson.
Reports show that for unspecified reasons, Bjurberg is not allowed on the premises of the Castro Valley Village Shopping Center.
A guard with Richmond-based Forbes Security saw Bjurberg at the shopping center and asked him to leave.
“At that point he starts threatening her,” Dickson said. “He says he’s going to kill her and that her days are numbered.”
The security guard, a 30-year-old Castro Valley woman, then watched Bjurberg walk away from the property.
She followed him to make sure he left and then was allegedly attacked by Bjurberg, Dickson said.
During the attack, the woman was punched in the face numerous times, was tackled onto a sidewalk and at one point was beaten on the head with her own flashlight.
“It was a fairly violent attack,” Dickson said. “He also attempted to rip out her eyeballs.”
The woman was taken to a hospital and was released after receiving treatment for her injuries, which included a 2-inch cut on her scalp, swelling on the back of her head and a bite on one of her fingers, Dickson said.
Witness descriptions clued deputies to a possible suspect and the security guard was able to identify Bjurberg in a photo lineup.
Deputies arrested Bjurberg after spotting him walking on Castro Valley Boulevard on Sunday morning.
His bail is set at $190,000.
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERSwww.privateofficer.com/
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Categories: security, security officer injured
loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com
Police arrest 3 in Tennessee “shoplifting service” www.privateofficer.com
March 13, 2009
Leave a comment
Police arrest 3 in Tennessee “shoplifting service” http://www.privateofficer.com
COOKEVILLE TN Mar 13 2009 — Two men and a woman allegedly operating a shoplifting “service” were arrested with a carload of loot last week, police said.
Derrick Joe Choate, 46, his wife, Camilla Shandrell Choate, 41, both of Old Qualls Road, and Garry Helms, 58, of Freehill Road, were all charged with theft of property following an investigation by Cookeville Police Detective Sgt. Yvette Demming.
It began Thursday evening when Officer Adrienne Lintz was sent to investigate a shoplifting incident at the Kohl’s store on West Jackson Street.
An official of the store had seen a man steal a pair of women’s tennis shoes and had seen him get into a vehicle which then parked in front of the Rack Room Shoes store, the officer’s report says.
At the shoe store parking lot, Lintz found the car and found that Garry Helms was the driver and Camilla Choate was in the back seat.”They said they were waiting for Camilla’s husband, Derrick Choate, who was in Rack Room Shoes,” the report says.
“I observed a pair of women’s tennis shoes in the back seat next to Mrs. Choate. She stated her husband had taken them from Kohl’s.”Also behind the car seat, the officer found “numerous shopping bags filled with merchandise,” the report says.”The bags were labeled with a black marker listing items such as men’s shirts, women’s jewelry, knives, watches, etc., as if labeled for resale.”Sgt. Jeff Johnson had joined the investigation by this time, and he went into the shoe store looking for Derrick Choate, but did not find him.
Lintz took Garry Helms and Camilla Choate to the police station, where Demming talked to them. Later, Officer Michael Herrick located Derrick Choate and brought him to the station as well.Allegedly, Camilla Choate told the officers that her husband has been running “a large shoplifting operation for about six months.”"She stated that he obtains ‘shopping lists’ from acquaintances, steals the merchandise, and then sells it at half the value for drug money. She stated that he had recently been caught stealing steaks from Food Lion for one of his ‘customers.’”
Both Helms and Camilla Choate, in separate sessions with officers, allegedly explained that Helms “drives them to stores to steal merchandise in exchange for gas money and cigarettes.”"Mrs. Choate stated that they both had warned Derrick that it was dangerous to carry the merchandise in the vehicle, but that he insisted on it just in case they encountered people who wanted the discounted items,” the report says.
Derrick Choate denied any involvement and said the items found in the car were not his, Lintz said.But surveillance video at the Kohl’s store shows him taking the shoes, she said.
Warrants taken against the three list the following stores as victims: Kohl’s, Old Navy, and Dollar General. Some of the items found could not immediately be linked to specific stores.
The three were booked into the Putnam jail.
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERSwww.privateofficer.com/
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Categories: loss prevention, police, security made app/arrest
cookeville tn, Derrick Joe Choate, Garry Helms, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, Shandrell Choate, www.privateofficer.com
Security officer stabbed helping fight victim www.privateofficer.com
March 13, 2009
Leave a comment
Security officer stabbed helping fight victim http://www.privateofficer.com
SAN DIEGO CA Mar 13 2009 — A security guard who intervened in an argument was stabbed in the shoulder in Barrio Logan Tuesday, but the wound was not life-threatening, police said.
The 45-year-old man intervened after two men confronted a third man in the 3500 block of National Avenue around 12:40 a.m., San Diego police Sgt. Bob Dare said.
The man who was confronted told officers he believes his attackers were the ones who stabbed him a week earlier, Dare said.
After stabbing the guard, the two assailants fled in a light blue Mitsubishi sedan, according to Dare, who said both were believed to be Hispanic. One was about 5 feet 10 and 170 pounds and wore a gray polo shirt and light blue shorts. The other was about 5 feet 10 and 200 pounds, and wore a Padres shirt.
The 45-year-old man intervened after two men confronted a third man in the 3500 block of National Avenue around 12:40 a.m., San Diego police Sgt. Bob Dare said.
The man who was confronted told officers he believes his attackers were the ones who stabbed him a week earlier, Dare said.
After stabbing the guard, the two assailants fled in a light blue Mitsubishi sedan, according to Dare, who said both were believed to be Hispanic. One was about 5 feet 10 and 170 pounds and wore a gray polo shirt and light blue shorts. The other was about 5 feet 10 and 200 pounds, and wore a Padres shirt.
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERSwww.privateofficer.com/
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Categories: security, security officer injured
loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com
Teen charged with robbery during shoplifting incident www.privateofficer.com
March 13, 2009
Leave a comment
Teen charged with robbery during shoplifting incident http://www.privateofficer.com
WEST COVINA CA Mar 13 2009
By: Brett Davis
Private Officer News Network
http://www.privateofficer.com/– Police have arrested a 16-year- old boy Wednesday was and charged him with robbery after stealing two pairs of shorts and biting a security agent, police said.
Police reports stated that the teen had been caught shoplifting at the Ross Department Store at 2573 Eastland Center Drive at 1:17 p.m., said West Covina police Lt. Pete Mena.
A security officer followed him outside where security attempted to stop the teen but the suspect fled. The security officer chased the boy and the teen was stopped in the parking lot and a struggle ensued, Mena said. During that struggle, the suspect bit the security agent in the left forearm, Mena said.
The suspect is being held on robbery charges instead of petty theft due to the struggle with security, Mena said.
The suspect identified himself as an illegal immigrant from Mexico when responding to a question of where his parents are, Mena said.
The security officer was treated at the scene by paramedics for minor injuries.
Police reports stated that the teen had been caught shoplifting at the Ross Department Store at 2573 Eastland Center Drive at 1:17 p.m., said West Covina police Lt. Pete Mena.
A security officer followed him outside where security attempted to stop the teen but the suspect fled. The security officer chased the boy and the teen was stopped in the parking lot and a struggle ensued, Mena said. During that struggle, the suspect bit the security agent in the left forearm, Mena said.
The suspect is being held on robbery charges instead of petty theft due to the struggle with security, Mena said.
The suspect identified himself as an illegal immigrant from Mexico when responding to a question of where his parents are, Mena said.
The security officer was treated at the scene by paramedics for minor injuries.
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERSwww.privateofficer.com/
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox! Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox! Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Categories: loss prevention, police, security made app/arrest, security officer injured
loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com
Shoplifter swallows balloons of heroin www.privateofficer.com
March 13, 2009
Leave a comment
Shoplifter swallows balloons of heroin http://www.privateofficer.com
Gastonia NC March 13 2009
By: Rick McCann
Private Officer News Network
http://www.privateofficer.com/
Gastonia police responded to assist loss prevention at the local Wal-Mart with a shoplifter but when the officer arrived Saturday he soon discovered more than stolen purses.
Gastonia Police Officer K. Revels found Jackie Handsel unconscious but breathing. Officers called for medical assistance and EMS arrived and began to assist.
Gastonia police responded to assist loss prevention at the local Wal-Mart with a shoplifter but when the officer arrived Saturday he soon discovered more than stolen purses.
Gastonia Police Officer K. Revels found Jackie Handsel unconscious but breathing. Officers called for medical assistance and EMS arrived and began to assist.
When a firefighter opened Handsel’s mouth to clear her airway, the firefighter found four balloons of heroin, according to arrest warrants.
Handsel, 35, of 517 Summer Road, Stanley, was taken to the medical center and later charged with possession of heroin, misdemeanor larceny and sje also had a warrant out for her arrest for failure to appear at a Jan. 5 court date. The previous charges were for resisting public officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Handsel walked through the store and took $122.74 worth of merchandise including a purse, wallet, hat and panties, according to warrants.
She was transported to the county detention center after being treated and is being held on $10,000 secured bond.
Handsel, 35, of 517 Summer Road, Stanley, was taken to the medical center and later charged with possession of heroin, misdemeanor larceny and sje also had a warrant out for her arrest for failure to appear at a Jan. 5 court date. The previous charges were for resisting public officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Handsel walked through the store and took $122.74 worth of merchandise including a purse, wallet, hat and panties, according to warrants.
She was transported to the county detention center after being treated and is being held on $10,000 secured bond.
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERSwww.privateofficer.com/
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Categories: loss prevention, police, security made app/arrest
gastonia nc, Jackie Handsel, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, www.privateofficer.com
Teens used as Mexican Cartel “Hit-Men” www.privateofficer.com
March 13, 2009
Leave a comment
Teens used as Mexican Cartel “Hit-Men” http://www.privateofficer.com
LAREDO, Texas Mar 13 2009 (CNN) — Rosalio Reta sits at a table inside a Laredo Police Department interrogation room. A detective, sitting across the table, asks him how it all started.
Reta, in Spanish street slang, describes his initiation as an assassin, at the age of 13, for the Mexican Gulf Cartel, one of the country’s two major drug gangs.
“I thought I was Superman. I loved doing it, killing that first person,” Reta says on the videotape obtained by CNN. “They tried to take the gun away, but it was like taking candy from kid.”
Rosalio Reta and his friend, Gabriel Cardona, were members of a three-person cell of American teenagers working as cartel hit men in the United States, according to prosecutors. The third was arrested by Mexican authorities and stabbed to death in prison there three days later.
In interviews with CNN, Laredo police detectives and prosecutors told how Cardona and Reta were recruited by the cartel to be assassins after they began hitting the cantinas and clubs just across the border.
CNN has also obtained detailed court records as well as several hours of police interrogation videos. The detective sitting across the table from Reta and Cardona in those sessions is Robert Garcia. He’s a veteran of the Laredo Police Department and one of the few officers who has questioned the young men.
“One thing you wonder all the time: What made them this way?” Garcia told CNN. “They were just kids themselves, waiting around playing PlayStation or Xbox, waiting around for the order to be given.”
Over a nearly one-year period starting in June 2005, the border town of Laredo, Texas, saw a string of seven murders. At first glance, the violence looked like isolated, gangland-style killings. But investigators started suspecting something more sinister.
Then Noe Flores was gunned down in a clear case of mistaken identity. Investigators found a fingerprint on a cigarette box inside the suspected shooter’s get-away car. That clue unraveled the chilling reality and led police to arrest Gabriel Cardona and Rosalio Reta.
Prosecutors say they quickly discovered these two teenagers were homegrown assassins, hired to carry out the dirty work of the notorious Gulf Cartel.
“There are sleeper cells in the U.S.,” said Detective Garcia. “They’re here, they’re here in the United States.”
The cases against Cardona and Reta — both are in prison serving long prison sentences for murder — shed new light into the workings of the drug cartels.
Prosecutor and investigators say Reta and Cardona were recruited into a group called “Los Zetas,” a group made up of former members of the Mexican special military forces. They’re considered ruthless in how they carry out attacks. “Los Zetas” liked what they saw in Cardona and Reta.
Both teenagers received six-month military-style training on a Mexican ranch. Investigators say Cardona and Reta were paid $500 a week each as a retainer, to sit and wait for the call to kill. Then they were paid up to $50,000 and 2 kilos of cocaine for carrying out a hit.
The teenagers lived in several safe houses around Laredo and drove around town in a $70,000 Mercedes-Benz.
As the teens became more immersed in the cartel lifestyle, their appearance changed. Cardona had eyeballs tattooed on his eyelids. Reta’s face became covered in tattoo markings. (Prosecutors say during his trial Reta used make-up to cover the facial markings.) And both sported tattoos of “Santa Muerte,” the Grim Reaper-like pseudo-saint worshipped by drug traffickers.
“These organizations, these cartels, they function like a Fortune 500 company,” Webb County, Texas, prosecutor Uriel Druker said. “We have to remember that the United States is the market they are trying to get to.”
In Cardona’s interrogation tape, there are clues that “Los Zetas” are reaching deeper and deeper into the United States. Cardona is asked, “Where else are the Zetas?” And Cardona responds, “I’ve heard in Dallas and Houston.”
And that’s why the cartel recruited these young Americans. Cardona and Reta could move freely and easily back and forth across the border with Mexico.
Just hours before they were arrested, federal authorities taped a phone conversation between them in which Cardona brags about killing 14-year-old Inez Villareal and his cousin, a Cardona rival.
Cardona laughs as he describes torturing the two boys and dumping their bodies in large metal drums filled with diesel fuel. He says he made “guiso,” or stew, with their bodies.
As the call ends, Cardona says, “There are three left to kill, there are three left.
Reta, in Spanish street slang, describes his initiation as an assassin, at the age of 13, for the Mexican Gulf Cartel, one of the country’s two major drug gangs.
“I thought I was Superman. I loved doing it, killing that first person,” Reta says on the videotape obtained by CNN. “They tried to take the gun away, but it was like taking candy from kid.”
Rosalio Reta and his friend, Gabriel Cardona, were members of a three-person cell of American teenagers working as cartel hit men in the United States, according to prosecutors. The third was arrested by Mexican authorities and stabbed to death in prison there three days later.
In interviews with CNN, Laredo police detectives and prosecutors told how Cardona and Reta were recruited by the cartel to be assassins after they began hitting the cantinas and clubs just across the border.
CNN has also obtained detailed court records as well as several hours of police interrogation videos. The detective sitting across the table from Reta and Cardona in those sessions is Robert Garcia. He’s a veteran of the Laredo Police Department and one of the few officers who has questioned the young men.
“One thing you wonder all the time: What made them this way?” Garcia told CNN. “They were just kids themselves, waiting around playing PlayStation or Xbox, waiting around for the order to be given.”
Over a nearly one-year period starting in June 2005, the border town of Laredo, Texas, saw a string of seven murders. At first glance, the violence looked like isolated, gangland-style killings. But investigators started suspecting something more sinister.
Then Noe Flores was gunned down in a clear case of mistaken identity. Investigators found a fingerprint on a cigarette box inside the suspected shooter’s get-away car. That clue unraveled the chilling reality and led police to arrest Gabriel Cardona and Rosalio Reta.
Prosecutors say they quickly discovered these two teenagers were homegrown assassins, hired to carry out the dirty work of the notorious Gulf Cartel.
“There are sleeper cells in the U.S.,” said Detective Garcia. “They’re here, they’re here in the United States.”
The cases against Cardona and Reta — both are in prison serving long prison sentences for murder — shed new light into the workings of the drug cartels.
Prosecutor and investigators say Reta and Cardona were recruited into a group called “Los Zetas,” a group made up of former members of the Mexican special military forces. They’re considered ruthless in how they carry out attacks. “Los Zetas” liked what they saw in Cardona and Reta.
Both teenagers received six-month military-style training on a Mexican ranch. Investigators say Cardona and Reta were paid $500 a week each as a retainer, to sit and wait for the call to kill. Then they were paid up to $50,000 and 2 kilos of cocaine for carrying out a hit.
The teenagers lived in several safe houses around Laredo and drove around town in a $70,000 Mercedes-Benz.
As the teens became more immersed in the cartel lifestyle, their appearance changed. Cardona had eyeballs tattooed on his eyelids. Reta’s face became covered in tattoo markings. (Prosecutors say during his trial Reta used make-up to cover the facial markings.) And both sported tattoos of “Santa Muerte,” the Grim Reaper-like pseudo-saint worshipped by drug traffickers.
“These organizations, these cartels, they function like a Fortune 500 company,” Webb County, Texas, prosecutor Uriel Druker said. “We have to remember that the United States is the market they are trying to get to.”
In Cardona’s interrogation tape, there are clues that “Los Zetas” are reaching deeper and deeper into the United States. Cardona is asked, “Where else are the Zetas?” And Cardona responds, “I’ve heard in Dallas and Houston.”
And that’s why the cartel recruited these young Americans. Cardona and Reta could move freely and easily back and forth across the border with Mexico.
Just hours before they were arrested, federal authorities taped a phone conversation between them in which Cardona brags about killing 14-year-old Inez Villareal and his cousin, a Cardona rival.
Cardona laughs as he describes torturing the two boys and dumping their bodies in large metal drums filled with diesel fuel. He says he made “guiso,” or stew, with their bodies.
As the call ends, Cardona says, “There are three left to kill, there are three left.
JOIN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE OFFICERSwww.privateofficer.com/
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Get news alerts, officer down, weather emergency news in your mailbox!
Sign up;adminassist@privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Join us at www.myspace.com/privateofficernews
Come be part of our social network! http://www.privateofficer.com
Categories: police
gangs, loss prevention agent, loss prevention association, mexican cartel hit men, mexican gangs, national association of private officers, security association, security guard, security guard association, security guard training, security officer, security officer assaociation, security police association, security training, teen hit men, www.privateofficer.com
