Suspect Daiveon Allison. Photo source unknown.

By Sergeant James Stenger #3604, Antioch Police Violent Crimes Unit (Investigations Bureau)

St. Patrick’s Day turned out to be a lucky day for the family of Jonathan Parker and Antioch Police. On March 17, 2020, the 15-year-old suspect, Daiveon Allison of Pittsburg wanted in the shooting death of the Deer Valley High student on Jan. 31, turned himself in with an attorney to Antioch Police Detectives and Deputies from the U.S. Marshals Service. The arranged surrender took place at the Oakland Police Department. The suspect was transported and booked into the Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall in Martinez.

Allison was identified by police to the public on Friday, March 13 over a month after the case was presented to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office on but on February 7, 2020. Allison was charged in juvenile court with murder and having a firearm on school grounds. (See related article)

The shooting occurred in the Deer Valley High School parking lot following a basketball game against cross-town Antioch High School.

Jonathan Parker DVHS shooting victim posted on Instagram by chris27ul.

The Antioch Police Department would like to thank the public and U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance with this case.

According to one of Parker’s family members a wanted poster was created and a $10,000 reward was going to be offered for information that led to Daiveon’s whereabouts and arrest, using the funds from a GoFundMe effort. However that didn’t turn out to be necessary.

No further information will be released regarding this case.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Suspect Daiveon Allison. Photo from APD.

By Sergeant James Stenger #3604, Antioch Police Violent Crimes Unit (Investigations Bureau)

On Friday, Jan. 31, 2020 following a basketball game at Deer Valley High School against Antioch High School, 16-year-old Jonathan Parker, a DVHS student, was shot in the school’s parking lot. 15-year-old Pittsburg Resident, Daiveon Allison was identified as the shooter in this incident. On February 7, 2020 this case was presented to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. Allison was charged in juvenile court with murder and having a firearm on school grounds. A warrant was issued for Allison’s arrest. (See related article)

It is believed Allison fled the area after this murder and is currently being sought by the Antioch Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service. Allison should be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached by the public. If anyone knows Allison’s whereabouts, or if he is seen please call 911 immediately. It is believed Allison may be receiving assistance in avoiding apprehension. Anyone associated with harboring Allison may be arrested for being an accessory to murder after the fact. This information is being released per Welfare and Institution Code 827.6.

On February 1, 2020, 16-Year-Old Jonathan Parker succumbed to his injuries and died at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.

Original News Release

On January 31, 2020 at about 8:44 PM, Antioch Police Department patrol officers were dispatched to the north parking lot of Deer Valley High School for shots being fired in the parking lot. A16-year-old male was located in the parking lot suffering from three gunshot wounds. The male was transported by ground to a local hospital and is currently in critical condition. It was determined the victim is a current student at Deer Valley High School.

At the time of the shooting there was a basketball game between Deer Valley and Antioch High Schools just letting out from the Deer Valley High School gym. A large group of juveniles started fighting in the parking lot when the shots were fired.

The Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau responded and took over this investigation. This investigation is in its infancy and a suspect has not been identified.

No further information will be released regarding this case at this time. Any further updates will come from the Antioch Police Department Investigations Bureau.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Smith at (925) 779-6876, or the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Screenshot from CCC Sheriff helicopter STAR 3 video of sideshow at Vasco and Marsh Creek Roads, Sunday night, March 7, 2020. Photo courtesy of Antioch Police.

Enforcement results in numerous arrests, 60 citations issued and 55 vehicles towed

By Sgt. Rick Smith, Antioch Police Field Services – Patrol

Information was developed that a large scale “sideshow” event was planned to occur in Eastern Contra Costa County on March 7, 2020. These events have been frequently occurring in the Bay Area and if not addressed by law enforcement they become out of control. These events are extremely dangerous due to the reckless driving that often leads to violence or subjects being severely injured while disrupting the lives of non-involved motorists and residents.

The Antioch Police Department reached out to surrounding law enforcement agencies for assistance in addressing this planned “sideshow” due to the anticipated size of the event and the various locations in Eastern Contra Costa County identified as possible locations of occurrence. The request was answered with officers being sent from all east county agencies to include the Brentwood Police Department, Oakley Police Department, Pittsburg Police Department, California Highway Patrol and Deputies from the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office Air Operations also assisted by having Helicopter STAR 3 overhead in support.

A large “sideshow” event occurred with participants performing dangerous and reckless driving maneuvers in the intersection of Marsh Creek Road and Vasco Road. This is a heavily travelled area of roadway and participants used their vehicles to stop traffic in all directions while performing dangerous driving maneuvers. CCSO STAR 3 was overhead and was able to help responding units stop and arrest numerous participants.

Several of these participants did manage to escape arrest by driving at and around arriving officers on roadway shoulders and into oncoming lanes of traffic. Again, putting numerous citizens and officers in harm’s way. These participants went to other nearby areas and continued to take over intersections by performing dangerous and reckless driving maneuvers.

Thanks to CCSO STAR 3 overhead, several officers were able to break-up this second “Sideshow” event that was occurring along Vineyards Parkway in the City of Brentwood. Several participants were again stopped and arrested with their vehicles being towed.

Cars on Vineyard Parkway in Brentwood.

CCSO STAR 3 helped identify a third “sideshow” location on Balfour Road at American Avenue in the City of Brentwood. Arriving Officers located and arrested several more drivers with their vehicles again being towed.

Cars at Balfour Road and American Avenue in Brentwood.

This continued with a fourth “sideshow” taking place in the City of Antioch at the intersection of A Street and East 18th Street. Officers arrived as the participants were dispersing. Officers were able to identify the involved drivers and vehicles. More vehicles were stopped at various locations with the drivers being arrested and their vehicles being towed.

During these events, a motorcycle was involved and fled from officers when an enforcement stop was attempted. With the assistance of CCSO STAR 3, officers were able to follow the motorcycle safely and later located the rider. The rider was taken into custody with his motorcycle being subsequently towed and stored.

The remaining group of drivers then made their way into the City of Concord. The Concord Police Department was aware of what was occurring in the eastern end of the county. They were able to disperse the remaining participants from their city. After this last incident, it appears the participants stopped for the night and no other incidents were reported.

Nearly 60 citations were issued. 50 of the citations were for infield arrests for reckless driving offenses directly related to “sideshow” activity. This resulted in 55 vehicles being towed and stored. There were three other arrests as a result of this enforcement for charges of driving under the influence, felony evading, and a warrant arrest for robbery.

This type of reckless driving has become a regular occurrence in the Bay Area. It is an extreme danger to those involved and even more of a danger for the un-involved citizens who unfortunately become victims of the illegal activity. Due to the officers pro-actively addressing this issue, several of the involved drivers will now be without their vehicles for an extended period and will also be facing possible fines from the Courts. Officers in Contra Costa County will continue to address these incidents with zero tolerance.

As a reminder to those who choose to show off their driving skills, public roadways are not the proper venues for this type of behavior. There are sanctioned events and locations throughout the state that allow this type of driving. Often rewarding drivers for their skills while providing a safe environment to all.

This preliminary information is made available by the Community Policing Division. Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

Antioch Police Officers inspect the Camaro that crashed into parked cars and whose driver fled on foot in Antioch, Friday night, March 6, 2020. Photo by APD.

Stolen car out of Pittsburg, dog detains donut driver in Antioch

Antioch Police K9 Officer Tzak after helping apprehend one of the suspects, Friday night, March 6, 2020. Photo by APD.

By Antioch Police Department

Score two for the good hounds.

Last night (Friday, March 6, 2020) our good friends over at Pittsburg PD called ahead on the horn to tell us they were chasing a stolen vehicle into Antioch on West 10th Street. Our officers, whose sole duty is to protect our city, said “Heck yeah, we won’t tolerate that here!” As we were scrambling a team of our finest night watch officers to help-out, the suspect must’ve sensed we were coming, and decided to test out his cardio skills against Pittsburg PD before we could get there. He soon found out not only does Pittsburg employ a bunch of track star officers, but they also had their loyal canine companion along with them (AKA “Man’s Best Friend”).

While all this was going on over on H Street, one of our officers was patrolling the businesses near Contra Loma and Buchanan when he saw an old school Camaro driving around in circles with the rear plate folded up so nobody could see it. The officer flipped on the red and blues to figure out what was going on, but the driver didn’t wanna chat, and instead drove the wrong way down L Street in an attempt to get away. Our coppers are way too smart for that kinda nonsense, and instead of engaging in a dangerous chase on the wrong side of the road, used the Motorola to alert other officers of what was going on.

A wave of blue uniforms flooded the area and found the Camaro crashed against some parked cars on West 5th Street a block away from our headquarters. The driver decided he wasn’t gonna wait around, and obviously knew what was coming, so he opted to hop, skip, and jump over fences into our neighbors’ backyards.

Swing watch officers, who were about to head home, poured out of the police station and joined our night watch on a containment perimeter. Officer Shipilov and his loyal canine sidekick Tzak arrived at the scene and began sniffing around. While doing so, the suspect thought it would be a good idea to go onto the roof of one of our fine resident’s houses, which in turn announced his location, and helped us locate him. He decided he wasn’t gonna go down easy, and Tzak (pictured below sticking his tongue out at the cameraman shortly afterwards) helped bring an end to his night of recklessness. Both bad guys were united at the County Jail, where they got to tell everyone not to mess around in Antioch or Pittsburg!

Our officers receive ongoing training and have strict policies when it comes to chasing vehicles. Our first priority is your safety, and we always weigh the risks versus rewards of chasing, against whether we can catch ‘em another way. We are thankful no innocent people were hurt in these incidents and the bad guys went to jail. We also appreciate the assistance of our awesome residents, both on H Street and West 5th/6th, while we looked for both suspects.

If you see Tzak on the streets, can you give him a “Good boooooy?”

Screenshot from CBS13 TV news report of Garry Reynolds.

By Scott Alonso, Public Information Officer, Contra Costa County District Attorney

Martinez, Calif. – A Contra Costa County jury found defendant Garry Reynolds (39-years-old) guilty of four felonies – all counts of animal cruelty. Reynolds is the owner of a dog training company, NorCal K9. The jury found Reynolds was criminally negligent in the care of four animals under his company’s care. Additionally, the jury found Reynolds not guilty on three counts of animal cruelty. (See related CBS13 TV news report) (See videos of dog training on Garry Reynolds’ YouTube channel)

In 2018, at a house in Antioch rented by the defendant, Reynolds and his former co-defendant Devon Ashby were responsible for the care of various dogs. Unfortunately, these dogs were neglected and not cared for in a proper way. Ashby pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty and testified during the trial for the People.

Reynolds faces up to 10 years in state prison due to his prior strike offenses. Judge Patricia Scanlon will sentence Reynolds later this spring. Deputy District Attorney Arsh Singh prosecuted the case on behalf of the People. DDA Singh is assigned to the Felony Trial Team.

“Animal cruelty cases are heartbreaking as these animals are innocent and deserve excellent care. Garry Reynolds took advantage of his customers and his ownership style contributed to the maltreatment of these dogs and the horrible death of Gunner,” DDA Singh stated. “The defendant claims to be a premier dog trainer yet showed no remorse and did not accept responsibility for the dogs under his care. I want to thank the jury for the important verdict in this case and the message sent to any dog trainer in our community that our Office will not tolerate the mistreatment of animals.”

The City of Antioch started an investigation into the house where the dogs were located at 5200 Lone Tree Way. The investigation started as a code enforcement matter but progressed to a criminal investigation led by the Antioch Police Department due to a dog’s death. In June 2018, Antioch police officers showed up at the house and found unsuitable and dangerous living conditions that jeopardized the health of the dogs staying at the property. In total nine dogs were removed from the property.

The conditions at 5200 Lone Tree Way were unsuitable for any animal. Antioch officials testified at the trial and reviewed with the jury that rotten raw chicken meat was found in various dogs’ kennels, urine and feces were not picked up or disposed of in a sanitary manner, and the house’s ventilation system was not properly used. When officers arrived on June 25 to the property, the weather in Antioch was extremely warm and the ventilation system in the house was not being used. Dogs under the care of Reynolds were placed in small rooms or the kitchen in stacked kennels all close together. Further, there was an immense amount of trash and debris inside and outside the house.

The following dogs were associated with the jury’s guilty verdict:

• Gunner, Doberman (Count 5)
• Favor, Cane Corso (Count 6)
• Zeus, German Shepherd (Count 7)
• Rambo (Bo), Labro-Poodle (Count 8)

Case information: People v. Garry Reynolds, Docket Number 05-191200-5

Publisher’s Note: A photo posted with this report, earlier was not of Garry Reynolds. Apologies for the mistake.

Gun found in car of erratic driver Tuesday night, March 3, 2020. Photos by APD.

By Antioch Police Department

On Tuesday night, March 3, 2020 (while you were hopefully sleeping), an Antioch Police officer with a keen eye for everything illegal under the sun (or moon in this case) spotted a car driving erratically on A Street near Rossi Avenue in Antioch. You see, this vehicle couldn’t quite maintain its lane, and almost struck a curb. This eagle-eyed officer flipped on the red and blues to have a little chat with the driver. During the whole license and registration spiel, our copper noticed the driver couldn’t keep his hands away from something under a red blanket by his feet. What was it you might ask?

We’re glad you asked, because it was a loaded handgun that was traced back to a burglary from San Leandro. Our officer, who is no stranger to excellent customer service, provided said driver with a new set of shiny bracelets, a free trip to the finest county lockup this side of the Mississippi, and a future date with Lady Justice!

There is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. What seems like a simple fix-it or speeding ticket can lead to a gun arrest or even more! Hopefully our beloved citizenry can sleep a little better at night knowing we employ a group of Grade-A insomniacs to keep watch of our town at all hours.

The car driven by the mail theft suspects and recovered stolen mail. Photos by APD.

By Antioch Police Department

Late last night, an alert resident contacted our Dispatch Center to report suspicious individuals in a blue BMW going through mailboxes in the Mira Vista Hills Neighborhood (Robles Drive at Silverado Drive). Officers not content in seeing our residents be victimized saturated the area and found a matching vehicle stopped in front of a mailbox on Candlestick Drive. As the officer was checking the license plate, the driver (who apparently had a guilty conscience) sped-off and led us on a chase to Pittsburg. Luckily there was hardly anyone out, and this guy wasn’t the best driver, because his mad dash was halted as his tires bounced off a curb on the Loveridge off-ramp (nice work curb!).

Instead of calling it quits, both the driver and passenger tried to see if officers were keeping up on their exercise routine and led us on a sprinting activity for a few hundred yards. Fortunately, our officers had not been skipping the gym that week and were able to take both the driver and passenger into custody without any further malfeasance. Inside the car, officers found stolen mail (including tax refunds!), from numerous victims throughout Contra Costa County, including our own Antioch.

The driver, a 32-year-old Hercules resident, was sent back to jail for a variety of charges, including violating his probation from leading officers on two previous high-speed chases. The passenger, a 34-year-old Hercules resident, joined the driver in jail for similar charges including violating her probation for identity theft.

We love when our residents see something suspicious and call us to investigate. Mail theft is a huge problem throughout our region and leads to other crimes like identity theft, fraud, and forgery. Installing a locking mailbox is a good preventative measure, but we also wanted to inform our fine residents of a FREE service offered by the Postal Service called “Informed Delivery.” Each day, the Post Office will email previews of the letters and packages scheduled to arrive at your house. Interested residents can follow this link to sign up for this service:

https://informeddelivery.usps.com/…/pages/intro/start.action

As always, if you see something – say something! If you witness a crime in-progress, give our Dispatch Center a call on 9-1-1 or at (925) 778-2441 if you don’t think it’s an emergency. We love catching the bad guys and gals but can’t always do it without your help!

Three guns confiscated from four juveniles by Antioch Police on Sunday, March 1, 2020. Photo by APD.

By Antioch Police Department

Sunday morning, March 1, 2020, Antioch Police dispatch received a complaint regarding a vehicle driving recklessly in the area of McFarlan Ranch Drive and Leitrim Way. When officers arrived in the area, they located a similar vehicle, parked, with four subjects associated with it. Further investigation of the incident led to the vehicle being searched and three loaded firearms being found inside. All four subjects with the vehicle were juveniles, were all arrested, and were all sent to Juvenile Hall.

While we are very happy to have three more guns off the street, we are also very appreciative of the call itself. What began as a call that was not necessarily an “emergency,” it is another example of the active members of our community making us aware of issues that affected them that we may not have otherwise been aware of. Please never think your call is not worthy, or that you’re “bothering” us. Every call is important to the person affected, and some turn into successful cases that make us all safer!