Potrero Hill, San Francisco

Bayview Officers Lamma and Doherty were just finishing with a traffic citation when a woman approached them and explained that a man had stolen her cell phone earlier in the day. For the past few hours the woman and her daughter had been calling the stolen phone and negotiating with the man for the phone’s return. The man agreed to return the phone, but only if the woman paid him $20.00.

The Officer’s immediately contacted Bayview Plainclothes Officers Lew and Ellis. The four officers and the woman quickly formulated a plan to catch the man with the stolen phone. Officer Ellis went to the planned meeting area and spotted a man who matched the suspect’s description. When Officer Ellis called the stolen phone the man picked it up! Officers Lew, Lamma, and Doherty rushed in and arrested the man. Not only did he have the stolen phone, but he had several varieties of narcotics in his possession. The local scofflaw was booked at Bayview Station. More importantly, the woman got her phone back.

Monday, December 13, 2005. 1:30 PM. Theft. Possession of Stolen Property. Narcotics Violations. 3rd St. & 16th St. Case #:051395999