Photo by Pittsburg PD.

By Pittsburg Police Department

On Friday, Jan. 24, 2019, Pittsburg Police K9 Zed and Officer Montalvo responded to assist the Antioch Police Department with stopping an occupied stolen vehicle. When they arrived, the female driver attempted to get away by ramming two Antioch patrol vehicles. Officers managed to pin the vehicle and open the driver door.

Due to the female refusing to comply, K9 Zed was deployed and apprehended the suspect, keeping officers safe from any injury.

All Pittsburg and Antioch Police officers were safe and not injured during this incident.

Screenshot of CCC Sheriff’s STARR 1 helicopter chase of suspect on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020.

By Jimmy Lee, Director of Public Affairs, Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff

On Friday, January 24, 2020, at about 11 PM, Deputy Sheriffs from the specialized patrol unit J-Team conducted a traffic enforcement stop on a driver in Antioch. As Deputies approached the car, the vehicle took off at a high rate of speed leading the Deputies on a pursuit.

The suspect fled through Antioch, Pittsburg and on Highway 4. The Deputies terminated the pursuit once Sheriff’s Office STARR 1 helicopter was overhead. STARR 1 tracked the suspect to Rock Island drive in Antioch, where he stopped and exited the vehicle.

STARR 1 directed ground units to that location. Deputies arrested the driver. He is identified as 29-year-old Denzal Ashford-Greene of Antioch. He had multiple felony warrants for vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, burglary and probation violation.

Ashford-Green was later booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on charges that include felony evading, unlawful possession of tear gas, probation violation and the outstanding warrants. He is being held without bail.

Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

STARR 1 video of this pursuit is posted on YouTube, here.

Please join the East Family Justice Center for a Red Sand Project and panel discussion on Human Trafficking.

January 24, 2020

12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

3501 Lone Tree Way, STE 4, Antioch

The Family Justice Center in collaboration with Antioch Councilwoman Monica Wilson, Contra Costa District Attorney Office, Contra Costa Human Trafficking Coalition, Love Never Fails, Community Violence Solutions, and Employment and Human Services Department will host a human trafficking event including a Red Sand Project and panel discussion.

Please contact Brenda Solorio at Brenda@cocofamilyjustice.org

The event is free and registration is on EventBrite.

Photo by APD.

By Antioch Police Department

In response to recent thefts occurring at area J.C. Penney’s, our officers have upped their patrols of our Slatten Ranch store. Today, we arrested two subjects who came in the business and “forgot” to pay for 42 pairs of jeans valued at $70 each.

We appreciate the store’s cooperation as well as witnesses who call in information after the thefts.

Editor’s Note: A call has been made to the APD Media Line to obtain more details about this case. Please check back later for updates to this report.

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

On January 12, 2019 at 1:52 PM, Antioch Police Department patrol officers were dispatched to the 2100 block of Peppertree Way for multiple shots fired and a man down. Officers arrived on scene and located 28-year-old Jacory Brown down in the street, suffering from several gunshot wounds to his upper body. Brown was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased by hospital staff. (See related article).

It was determined through this investigation that Brown and 23-year-old Jordan Thompson were involved in a verbal/physical altercation and Thompson shot Brown several times during the altercation. Antioch Police Department investigators spent most of 2019 attempting to track-down Thompson, but he evaded capture. On January 17, 2020 at 9:01 AM, an Antioch Police Department patrol officer conducted a traffic enforcement stop on a vehicle on Contra Loma Boulevard near Longview Road. Jordan Thompson was contacted as the lone occupant/driver of the vehicle. Thompson was arrested on a probable cause warrant related to this murder and interviewed at the Antioch Police Department. Thompson was later booked into the County Jail in Martinez and is being held with No-Bail allowed. This case will be presented to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office early next week.

No further information will be released regarding this case at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Bledsoe at (925) 779-6884, 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.

Suspect Kevion Blocker. Photo by APD.

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

On January 14, 2020, Kevion Blocker, the suspect in the attempted murder shooting of a 20-year-old man in Williamson Ranch shopping center of Antioch in October turned himself in at the County Jail in Martinez with the assistance of an attorney. (See related article).

On January 16, 2020, this case was presented to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and Blocker was charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon with enhancements and his bail was set at two-million dollars.

This information is made available by the Investigations Bureau. Anyone with information regarding this case can contact Detective Smith at (925) 779-6876. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

ittsburg shooting suspects flee overturned vehicle. Photo: Pittsburg PD

Antioch Police Officers assisted

By Pittsburg PD

Early Friday morning, graveyard Officers were dispatched to the report of shots fired in the area of Gladstone Drive at Loveridge Road. Officers were circulating the area when a witness pointed out a vehicle that was traveling at a high rate of speed through the neighborhood and was related. Officers attempted to initiate a traffic enforcement stop, at which time the vehicle fled from Officers and a pursuit ensued. The pursuit continued into the city of Antioch where the vehicle collided into the curb and flipped over.

Both suspects (see photo) fled on foot but were subsequently taken into custody after a brief search. A search of the vehicle was conducted, and several shell casings and live rounds were located. Both suspects were placed under arrest for several charges. Thank you @antiochpdca for the assist!

New BART Chief Ed Alvarez. Photo: BART.gov

BART’s General Manager Bob Powers announced today the hiring of Ed Alvarez as Chief of Police and tasked the new chief with immediate changes to increase officer presence on board trains and other strategies to reduce crime on the system and improve the rider experience.

Alvarez is a 22-year veteran of the BART Police Department, an East Bay native, and has spent his entire law enforcement career moving up the ranks within BART Police. He was serving as Interim Chief of Police and was previously the Deputy Chief in charge of the Support Services Bureau.  The selection is the result of a nationwide search process involving BART’s Police Citizen Review Board and Independent Police Auditor.

“Alvarez knows the system and has a vision for safety that includes short-term and long-term strategies to grow the department into a fully staffed, progressive agency serving diverse communities,” said General Manager Bob Powers.  “We must do more to ensure all riders feel safe and to prevent crime on BART.  Ed Alvarez brings the internal knowledge coupled with the creative thinking to better serve our riders, support our officers, and increase accountability without delay.”

The appointment is effective immediately and Alvarez is swiftly putting into place new deployment strategies responding to concerns voiced by riders in Customer Satisfaction surveys and the General Manager’s Listening Tour. Changes include:

• Beginning Monday, a newly created team of 12 sworn police officers will be dedicated to riding trains in pairs and walking platforms on nights and weekends. This team will supplement the newly approved ambassador program which Alvarez was instrumental in creating and begins February 10, utilizing unarmed non-sworn police staff to prevent and de-escalate problems on board trains.  Coupled together, both programs offer 22 police staff dedicated to riding trains, representing a new shift in the deployment strategies of the police department.
• Immediate evaluation of patrol staffing to determine the feasibility for the creation of newly assigned fixed post assignments at key stations such as Coliseum, where data shows a high volume of calls for service. The assigned fixed post officer would be responsible for the safety and security of a specific station, opposed to current roving patrols. The fixed post assignments will create greater station ownership and on-going community engagement.  The evaluation will include how to improve response times, reduce crime, and increase presence.
• Increased visibility and engagement with riders to prevent cell phone snatching, especially between Balboa Park and Powell stations where there has been an uptick in the number of juveniles snatching phones, running to make a quick escape, and selling them along Market Street for cash. In 2019 59% of violent crimes at BART were attributed to electronic thefts.  If we are successful in stopping cellphone thefts, the violent crime rate at BART will dramatically drop. 2019 BART crime stats show crime is up 11% with violent crime up 4% compared to 2018.

“I am excited for the opportunity to move the department forward and improve the relationship with our riders and our employees as we work together to make BART the safest transit system in the country,” said Alvarez.  “Our officers take great pride in protecting and securing our busy system, they are skilled and committed, and I will do everything I can to support their efforts.”

As Interim Chief of Police, he oversaw the record-breaking acceleration of hiring, outpacing attrition to increase the number of officers available for patrol; the on-going process and commitment to BPD’s prestigious accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA); the improvement of surveillance video recovery time; and the roll out and life-saving deployment of Narcan.

As a BART detective, he investigated, arrested, and helped get the conviction of a human trafficker that targeted a young juvenile.  As a sergeant he’s credited with starting the Critical Asset Patrol team that provides additional uniformed presence within the stations and on trains in the core of the BART system which includes the downtown San Francisco and downtown Oakland stations.

Alvarez is a first generation Mexican-American, fluent in Spanish, and grew up in Newark riding BART to A’s games and into San Francisco.  He understands the needs of the riders and the complexities involved with transit policing. It is Chief Alvarez’s goal to improve engagement between BART police and the public through increased outreach and accessibility.