Burglary suspect Jesse Alexander of Clayton seen in surveillance footage. Stolen merchandise by recovered by police. Photos: APD

By Antioch Police Department

Excellent work by one of our patrol teams to catch a burglary suspect.

On Friday night, March 24, 2023, two optometry businesses were burglarized, and the suspect attempted to burglarize another. Garret Louie Optometry at 2225 Buchanan Road and Eye to Eye Optometry at 4051 Lone Tree Way were the two that were burglarized. The suspect, 40-year-old Jesse Alexander of Clayton, shattered windows to gain entry and began filling bags with glasses.

Officers search near Eye to Eye Optometry and the suspect’s car. Photos: APD

He got away those two times, but our officers began watching other optometrist locations in our city, specifically Diablo Valley Optometric Group at 3700 Sunset Lane. While they were watching the business, the suspect from the other burglaries arrived and attempted to gain entry to that business by shattering a window. Our officers contacted the suspect while he attempted to burglarize the business, and he decided to run from them.

They chased him and caught him nearby. Officer Aguilar located the suspect’s vehicle in the Walmart parking lot and inside the vehicle were the stolen glasses from the other businesses. The suspect was arrested for multiple charges related to burglary and resisting arrest and given a ride to the Martinez Detention Facility. This is just one example of the incredible police work our officers do on a daily basis.

FOAL Board Members in front of the recently unveiled Antioch Library display window are, left to right, standing: Member at Large Ed Judkins, President Walter Ruehlig, left center: Financial Secretary Patty Chan, Secretary Marian Ferrante, Vice President Merle Whitburn, Member at Large Kay Dean, Treasurer Lenora Langman. Photo courtesy of Walter Rhuelig.

Friends of the Antioch Library (FOAL) will hold their next used book sale fund-raiser at the library on Thursday April 6 from 12- to 6; the 7th from 9-5; 8th from 9 to 4. Paperbacks are 50 cents and hardbacks one dollar; children’s books are 25 and 50 cents.

FOAL is a non-profit organization started in 1985 and dedicated to raising funds and sponsoring library activities. The Antioch Library is located at 501 W. 18th Street.

AK-47 and bullets seized. Photos: Concord PD

AK-47 used in shooting, loaded handgun seized

Concord PD SWAT, Crisis Negotiations Team, drone activation and assistance by Antioch PD 

By Concord Police Department

During the early morning hours on Thursday, March 16th, 2023, Concord Police officers were dispatched to the area of Revere Drive and Grant Street in Concord for a report of a shooting. Officers arrived on scene and located several spent shell casings, as well as a single victim. The victim was not hit by gunfire, but the evidence at the scene suggested at least 12 shots from a rifle were fired at the victim.

Later that morning, the Concord Police Department’s Investigations Division began working the case and within hours, identified three Suspects responsible for the shooting. The suspects were seen at a residence in the City of Antioch and the investigation revealed the firearm used was an AK-47 style rifle. Arrest warrants for the Suspects were sought, granted and that evening, the Concord Police Department activated the SWAT and Crisis Negotiations Team (CNT) to serve the arrest warrant. The SWAT team is only activated during incidents involving a high threat to the public and officers when attempting to make an arrest.

The CNT was able to deploy a negotiator, who has received extensive training in peacefully resolving volatile situations, inside the SWAT’s armored vehicle. This vehicle allowed us to take a negotiator and place them into a position to optimize negotiations and the safety of the negotiator.

The Antioch Police Department assisted Concord PD by providing an armored rescue vehicle, as well as the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff, who assisted us in providing their Bearcat for the operation.

Additionally, the Concord PD’s drone team deployed and was able to observe the residence to ensure the safety of approaching officers and negotiators. During this time, with the drone overhead, the operator observed two of the suspects fleeing the area in a vehicle. Additional Concord Police Officers were able to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle and safely arrest the occupants. A loaded handgun was located in that vehicle. Moments later, a suspect was seen, via the drone, placing a rifle into a secondary vehicle and fleeing the scene in that vehicle. Concord Police Officers conducted a traffic stop on that vehicle and located an AK-47 style rifle, the one suspected of being used in the shooting.

SWAT and CNT was able to approach the residence safely and secure any evidence inside. The incident concluded without further incident.

The case will be forwarded to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office for filing considerations.

Source: STraffic

$90 million Next Generation Fare Gate project

BART is moving forward with a historic purchase of brand-new fare gates to be installed systemwide as part of its latest effort to win riders back and overhaul safety in the system. The new fare gates will bring a new look and improved experience, offering state-of-the-art technology that will boost safety by reducing fare evasion, enhancing access for people in wheelchairs and those who bring bikes and strollers on BART, and optimizing the reliability and maintenance needs of the fare gates.

At the March 23, 2023, BART Board of Directors meeting, staff recommended the Board move forward with the first purchase of the $90 million Next Generation Fare Gate project. Staff recommended awarding up to $47 million to STraffic America to implement the project. BART staff will develop an installation timeline with STraffic and will stress-test the new fare gate design at a yet-to-be-determined station later this year. The project calls for all stations to have new fare gates by 2026.

“We want to deter fare evasion, modernize our aesthetic and reduce maintenance,” explained Sylvia Lamb, BART’s assistant general manager of infrastructure delivery, at Thursday’s BART Board of Directors meeting.

The transit agency’s board of directors received an update Thursday on the fare-reliant agency’s long quest to implement new gates that prove harder to jump and prove more reliable.

“There’s an appetite out there to go ahead and get this thing done,” said Bob Powers, BART’s general manager, adding the agency will soon be on a “path that’s going to get us to a systemwide replacement very, very quickly.”

Source: STraffic

Thursday’s presentation was informational only. At the second presentation, to be made on April 13, BART directors will seek the board’s approval for the $47 million fare gate contract.

“This is a very happy day, and I can’t wait to vote next month,” said BART Director Bevan Dufty.

To inform the endeavor, BART built and installed prototypes that it deployed in several stations in its system beginning in 2020, particularly around elevators, in an effort to make it easier for elevator users to tag in and out of the system. It has also retrofitted some of the older gates in an attempt to make them more resistant to fare evasion.

The agency has estimated that fare evasion could cost as much as $15-25 million in lost revenue every year, although the exact figure is difficult to pin down.

The new fare gates will look unlike any other of the current 700 fare gates in the BART system. While the new design has not yet been finalized, the gates will have clear swing barriers that will be very difficult to be pushed through, jumped over, or maneuvered under.

The next generation fare gates will not have the orange fins riders have become accustomed to. They will also be different than the new swing-style fare gates designed by BART staff and recently installed to enclose elevators into the paid area.

The new gates will be able to handle large crowds without slowing people down as they move in and out of stations while processing their Clipper cards. The gates will have advanced 3D sensors that are able to detect if someone is in a wheelchair or has a bike, stroller, or luggage with them, allowing for more time before the swing barrier closes. The gates will have LED lighting on the swing barriers and the pathway through the gate to help visually impaired riders. STraffic has worked extensively with members of the ADA community and is committed to continue this work while designing the BART gates.

“New fare gates will transform the rider experience and will deliver immediate improvements to safety and reliability,” said BART Board President Janice Li. “BART researched world-wide best practices in fare gate designs to help guide this pivotal purchase. I want to thank the local, state, and federal funding sources who have stepped up to support this impactful project. I am committed to seeing this project fully funded and fully implemented without delay.”

To date, BART has secured $73 million of the $90 million project, with funding from:

• BART Funds (Operating-to-Capital Allocations and Measure RR) $23M
• County Transportation Agency Funds $28M
• Federal Funds $15M
• State Funds $6.5M

In recommending the vendor, BART staff evaluated proposals from industry leaders and scored each proposal on their technical approach, qualifications, experience in delivering similar projects, and price. STraffic America, LLC offered the best value to BART and committed to subcontracting 11% of the work to Disadvantage Business Enterprises.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

9 other felony charges including attempted murder, bail set at $5.5 million

By Allen D. Payton

According to Antioch Police Public Information Officer Ashley Crandell, on Thursday, March 23, 2023, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office filed the following ten (10) felony charges on 37-year-old Bartley Hall related to last Saturday’s stabbings of his 35-year-old domestic partner, her unborn baby and her two children, a 14-year-old boy and 11-year-old girl. Charges: 1. One (1) count of murder for the murder of an unborn child – California Penal Code § 187(a) 2. Three (3) counts of attempted murder – California Penal Code § 664/187(a). 3. Four (4) counts of child abuse – California Penal Code § 273a(a). 4. One (1) count of corporal injury to spouse or cohabitant – California Penal Code § 273.5(f)(1). 5. One (1) count of evading a peace officer – California Vehicle Code § 2800.4. (See related articles here and here)

The identity of the victims will be kept confidential in accordance with California Penal Code §293. We want to thank the Contra Costa County District’s Attorney’s Office for their assistance in this case.

UPDATE: According to Crandell, Hall is not the father of the two children, and it is unknown if he was the father of the unborn baby.

A Friday press release issued by Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office PIO Ted Asregadoo confirmed the charges and provided additional details. He wrote, the DA’s Office has filed a murder charge and nine other felony charges against Hall who stabbed his pregnant domestic partner and her two children. The attack led to the death of the woman’s unborn baby.

As previously reported, on March 18th, Antioch Police Officers responded to a domestic violence emergency call at an apartment complex on the 100 block of Wilbur Avenue in Antioch. When officers arrived at the residence, a woman and two minors were suffering from severe to moderate knife-related injuries. Emergency medical personnel arrived minutes later to render aid while officers gathered details of the attack. Another Antioch Police Officer saw Hall’s vehicle leaving the apartment complex and initiated a pursuit that ended in Solano County when Hall collided with another vehicle in the City of Suisun and fled on foot. Police apprehended and arrested him with assistance from Solano County Sheriff’s Deputies after a short pursuit.

Hall faces an 11-count complaint that includes 10 felonies and one misdemeanor. The murder charge comes with an enhancement for Hall’s use of a knife to stab his domestic partner, which later caused her to lose the fetus.

Hall is also charged with three counts of attempted, willful, deliberate, and premeditated murder against his domestic partner and her children. Those charges also come with enhancements that include domestic violence, injury to a pregnant victim, the use of a deadly weapon, and great bodily injury.

Additionally, he is charged with four counts of child abuse, one count of injury of a spouse, cohabitant, or fiancé(e) with a prior conviction, fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s motor vehicle, driving the wrong way in traffic, and a misdemeanor hit and run that damaged another vehicle.

At a court appearance today, Hall’s attorney asked Judge Laurel S. Brady to reschedule his arraignment to April 7th at 1:30 pm. Judge Brady agreed. Hall is being held at the Martinez Detention Facility with a bail amount set at $5,513,000.

The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office thanks the law enforcement and investigative work of the Antioch Police Department in this case.

Case No. 04-23-00413 | The People of the State of California vs. Hall, Bartley

By Oakley Police Department

On March 20, 2023, Officer M. Jackson observed a silver Nissan vehicle, lacking a license plate, at Live Oak Road and Laurel Road. Officer M. Jackson stopped the vehicle and made contact with the driver who lied about his name. At the time of this contact (1130PM) it was 52 degrees outside, yet the driver was nervously shaking and sweating profusely. Officer Jackson believed the driver was nervous about being contacted by law enforcement and believed the driver had a reason to be evasive about his identity. The driver was detained, and the vehicle was searched.

Oakley Police Officers Hernandez and Fielding arrived to assist Officer Jackson and collectively they continued to investigate the situation. The investigation revealed the true identity of the driver 25-year-old Jahsaun Brown of Antioch and a fully loaded handgun under the driver’s seat. The handgun is described as a semi-automatic 9mm, but with no manufacturer markings or serial number. A firearm lacking this key information is considered a “ghost gun” because it is not trackable in the DOJ system. The handgun also had a full capacity magazine with twelve rounds loaded into it. Further investigation revealed Brown had a warrant for his arrest charging him with carrying a loaded weapon. Even further investigation revealed Brown was the subject of a criminal protective order, which stated he was not allowed to be in possession of any firearms.

Brown was arrested for: PC25400- Carrying a concealed weapon, PC32310- Possession of large capacity magazine, PC25850- possession of loaded weapon, PC29180- possession of un-serialized firearm “ghost gun”, PC 148.9- Providing false identification to an officer and PC 166- Violation of a court order. Brown was booked for these crimes.