Richmond
Man arrested after robbery near Walmart
A man was robbed at gunpoint outside a Walmart store late Monday, and another man initially believed to be a suspect was arrested on an unrelated gun crime, a police spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The armed robbery happened around 11:40 p.m. in the 1400 block of Hilltop Mall Road just after the victim left the nearby Walmart, Richmond police Sgt. Nicole Abetkov said.
An officer canvassing the neighborhood after the robbery spotted a man who matched the description of one of the suspects and attempted to stop him, Abetkov said.
She said the man fled from the officer and tossed a handgun along the way.
The officer apprehended the man, but the victim was unable to positively identify him as one of the robbery suspects, Abetkov said.
The man, whose name was not released, was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a gun. The two armed robbery suspects remain at large.
— Wire report
OAKLAND
Human skull found inside time capsule
The discovery of a human skull inside what one officer described as a time capsule at a business near Oakland International Airport was being investigated by authorities Tuesday.
The mostly intact skull was actually found last week at Pacific Panels, 74 98th Ave., but was not reported to police until about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Peter Borris, president of the company, which manufactures aluminum honeycomb panels, said the sealed wooden box was found Nov. 26 by a relatively new employee who was doing cleanup work in the production area of the business.
He estimated the box had been at the business probably 15 years.
Police confirmed that was a good assessment, based on papers, documents and other items found inside. They would not go into more detail.
Patrol Sgt. Dom Arotzarena said it was a “time capsule-looking box.”
The skull was to be turned over to the Alameda County Coroner’s office to see if the sex, age, race and cause of death could be determined as well as who owned it and how it got to the business.
— Harry Harris, Staff
OAKLAND
15-year-old slaying victim identified
A 15-year-old boy shot to death Saturday morning not far from his East Oakland home was identified by police Tuesday as Isaiah C. Smith, a student at Fremont High School.
Isaiah was shot about 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the 5400 block of Trask Street. He was able to run to the side of a house, where he collapsed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said Isaiah had just left his home a short time before he was shot, but it was not known where he was going.
Officer Leo Sanchez said police have not established a motive yet for the shooting.
— Harry Harris, Staff
OAKLAND
Police overseer mum on Ferguson protests
Oakland’s court-appointed police overseer is staying mum about the department’s response to last week’s protests that resulted in looting, vandalism and all sorts of projectiles being hurled at officers.
In his most recent progress report released late Monday, Robert Warshaw declined to comment on the protests other than to write that he was closely monitoring the department’s response, including any use of force or nonlethal munitions by officers or complaints from protesters.
Several business and political leaders, including Mayor-elect Libby Schaaf, had questioned whether police, who have been criticized for being too heavy-handed during past protests, could have done more to protect businesses that were targeted by agitators.
Overall, Warshaw, a former police chief in Rochester, New York, said the department was still making progress in completing a long list of court-mandated reforms stemming from a 1999 police brutality scandal, but noted several points of concern.
Warshaw questioned why so many officers received positive performance reviews and continued to doubt the plausibility of recent drops in the use of force by officers.
He also wrote that data from police stops raised questions about why minorities were searched more frequently than whites, but said he had not determined whether “there is a constitutionally valid basis for the disparity or there is a need for corrective intervention.”
— Matthew Artz, Staff
OAKLAND
Man charged with killing ex-girlfriend
A 35-year-old man was charged with murder Tuesday in the fatal stabbing Sunday morning of his 19-year-old former girlfriend inside a West Oakland market, an attack that was captured on video surveillance cameras, authorities said.
In addition to having the video and statements from witnesses to the attack as evidence, the suspect, Abdol Ali Omar, admitted stabbing the woman, Sgt. Caesar Basa said.
Omar, of Oakland, is charged with killing Rusamie Ashly Phongphoumy, of Richmond, inside the Oakland Market, 1000 18th St., where they both worked.
Police said Omar, a widower, and Phongphoumy had been dating since she was 18.
Basa said Phongphoumy had been trying to end their relationship for the past few months and told Omar once again about 11:30 a.m. Sunday that she wanted to break up with him.
Police said that Omar then fatally attacked Phongphoumy with a knife, according to court documents.
— Harry Harris, Staff
