A house on Deerfield Drive where the suspect was barricaded with what police believed was a family member on Monday, Nov. 5, 2018. Photo by Allen Payton

One other person believed to be a family member also in the house; no second suspect

By Allen Payton

As of 11:18 p.m. Monday, November 5, 2018, according to Antioch Police Chief Tammany Brooks, what started out as a neighborhood dispute at about 7:45 p.m., ended with an Antioch Police Officer injured in the head, and the male suspect barricaded in a house on Deerfield Drive between Fawn Hill Way and Elkhorn Way, with another person with him. Police believe the house is where the suspect lives and the person with him is a family member.

The injured officer was treated and released from the hospital, while SWAT and negotiators were “trying to bring the situation to a successful resolution,” Brooks said.

Officers could be heard calling out to the suspect over a loud speaker.

Early on the report went out that the officer had been shot in the head. Later reports said it was either a BB or pellet gun. In response, officers from multiple agencies showed up, with at least 40 to 50 police cars on the scene, having driven up Hillcrest Avenue with their sirens blaring. But, Chief Brooks only said the officer was injured in the head.

It was believed that another suspect was on the loose, and police searched the area on foot and used what appeared to be a drone over the Hillcrest area. However, that turned out not to be the case.

Police blocked multiple streets leading to the area, including Hillcrest Avenue at Golden Bear Drive, and Via Dora Drive at Wildcat Circle.

Please check back later for more details or updates to this story.

Was passenger in truck driven by an Antioch teenager traveling above the speed limit

By Sergeant Matthew Harger #3305, Antioch Police Field Services Division

11-3-18 2:14 PM UPDATE: The 16-year-old victim in the Friday collision passed away during the night. The preliminary investigation has revealed the victim was a passenger in a pick-up truck that was traveling westbound on Reimche Drive, well above the speed limit. The driver of the truck, a 19-year-old Antioch resident, remained on scene and was cooperative with the investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and any witnesses are urged to contact the Antioch Police Department.

On Friday, Nov. 2, 2018 at approximately 4:45 pm, Antioch Police Department officers were dispatched to the intersection of Reimche Drive and Desrys Blvd. regarding a rollover vehicle collision with an occupant having been ejected. When officers arrived on scene, they found a 16-year-old male juvenile in the roadway suffering from major injuries. Medical personnel arrived on scene and eventually transported the male to a local trauma center where he is currently in critical condition with life threatening injuries. Two other occupants that were inside the same vehicle were also transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Alcohol and drugs do not appear to be a factor in the collision at this time.

The collision investigation is in the preliminary stages and anyone with information is urged to contact the Antioch Police Traffic Division.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441 or (925) 779-6884. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.

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

On October 31, a Contra Costa County jury found defendant Vinicio Santos of Antioch guilty of three misdemeanors, including animal cruelty. On December 1, 2017, Santos’ dog attacked the three calves owned by grazer Paul Daysh. The brutal attack left the three calves permanently injured.

Santos now faces a sentence of up to three years in county jail. Sentencing for Santos will occur on November 30 by the Honorable Leonard Marquez in Department 34 at the Contra Costa County Superior Court in Pittsburg. Restitution for Daysh will also be decided on November 30. Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Whitnee Goins prosecuted the case on behalf of the People for this misdemeanor jury trial.

“I am grateful the jury held the defendant accountable for his crimes. He ignored repeated orders from East Bay Regional Parks Rangers to control his dog. Consequently, these calves needlessly suffered serious injuries. We will continue to prosecute animal cruelty cases to ensure the public is protected and animals are cared for in a humane manner,” DDA Goins stated.

Santos and his dog were at the Contra Loma Regional Park in Antioch on December 1, 2017. Santos’ dog was not on leash when spotted by park rangers. After rangers saw Santos, they heard animals in distress. When the rangers connected again with Santos they saw the white Husky mix dog viciously attacking one calf, then moving to attack two more calves. Santos was told repeatedly to leash his dog and bring the dog under control. Santos ignored the rangers’ commands.

Santos was found guilty of the following misdemeanor offenses:

·         Animal Cruelty

·         Vandalism Over $400 Damage

·         Resist, Obstruct, Delay of Peace Officer

Case information: People v. Vinicio Arturo Santos, Docket Number 04-193968-5.

Lloyd Joseph Harris Jr. Photo by Antioch Police

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

Sheriff-Coroner David O. Livingston announced this week that a Coroner’s Jury has reached a finding in the February 8, 2018 death of Lloyd Joseph Harris IV, when he was shot by Antioch Police. The finding of the jury is that the death was at the hands of another person, other than by accident. (See related articles, here and here.)

According to Antioch Police, Harris was a person of interest in a homicide case and also wanted for felony assault, and had a federal warrant for his arrest, at the time of the shooting.

The Coroner’s Jury reached a verdict after hearing the testimony of witnesses called by the hearing officer, Matthew Guichard.

A Coroner’s Inquest, which Sheriff-Coroner Livingston convenes in fatal incidents involving police officers, is a public hearing, during which a jury rules on the manner of a person’s death. Jury members can choose from the following four options when making their finding: Accident, Suicide, Natural Causes, At the hands of another person, other than by accident.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

By Corporal Shawn Morin #5227, Antioch Police Field Services Bureau

On Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at 12:50 A.M., Antioch Police Officers were dispatched to the area of W. 14th Street and L Street for an injured pedestrian. Officers arrived and found a 27-year-old female Antioch resident with major injuries. The female victim was transported to an area hospital where she was admitted and is in critical, but stable condition. Officers on scene learned the female was walking in the area when she was struck by a vehicle which fled the scene.

The Traffic Investigation Unit was called out and took over the investigation. Investigators are following up on leads to identify the responsible party, but we do not have a vehicle description at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925)778-2441. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH

This preliminary information is made available by the Field Services Bureau. There will be no further information released regarding this case at this time.

By Sergeant Matthew Koch, Antioch Police Field Services Bureau

On Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018 at 3:21 pm, Antioch Police officers were dispatched to the 2200 block of Peppertree Way on a report of a shooting that had just occurred. Upon the officers’ arrival, they located a 28-year-old male victim suffering from a single gunshot wound. It was discovered the responsible(s) fled the area prior to police arrival. The victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment where he was listed in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery.

At this time, officers are working on leads to develop suspect information.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441. You may also text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using key word ANTIOCH

This preliminary information is made available by the Field Services Bureau. There will be no further information released regarding this case at this time.

Lately, I have had a number of people ask me about crime statistics in Antioch. More specifically, they want to know how our current crime rate compares to the crime rate prior to Measure C being approved by voters back in November 2013. Below is a graph comparing Antioch’s Part I crimes for the first nine months of 2013 to the first nine months of this year. (They can also be viewed on the City’s website at https://www.antiochca.gov/police/crime-statistics/)

Pretty staggering results! Overall, violent crime is down 39.9% and property crime is down 25.5%, resulting in a Total Part I Crime reduction of 28.2%.

This data clearly shows that Antioch is a safer community than it was five years ago. Now, by no means am I saying Antioch is crime-free, or even as safe as we would like it to be. It’s not. However, we have made great strides over the last five years in making our city safer. But like many things that happen over a period of time, the results aren’t as obvious to those of us who live here and are acclimated to the environment we see every day.

I’d like to share a personal story as an analogy to this. About 13 years ago, I weighed 320 pounds. I made some eating and lifestyle changes, and eventually lost over 100 pounds. This was very difficult for me to do and took more than a year to accomplish. The sad part about this was while I was losing weight, I continually felt as though my physical appearance was not changing. I saw myself every day, picking apart every flaw, and continually feeling as though I was making very little (if any) progress. It was not until I saw a picture of myself at my heaviest, and compared it to a more recent picture, that I was able to appreciate the change I had made.

Some people have a preconceived notion about Antioch. And for them, every single incident of crime reported helps justify their opinion. Also known as confirmation bias, this is the mentality of someone who fails to see the forest for the trees. Antioch previously had the unfortunate distinction of being one of the most dangerous cities in California. That is no longer the case. In fact, the most recent list I saw (just published last week) had Antioch down to #51 (https://www.roadsnacks.net/most-dangerous-cities-in-california/). By no means is this perfect or even ideal. But it’s a marked improvement from where we were.

There is still a lot of work needed to make Antioch safer. But the men and women of the Antioch Police Department have been, and are still, committed to doing the best we can with the staffing and resources we have to improve the safety of our community. I believe the funding generated by Measure C has enabled the Antioch Police Department to make a measurable impact on the crime in our city over the past five years. Measure W, on this November’s ballot, is intended to continue providing the Department funding that could be used for programs and staffing to further reduce crime in our community.

As your Chief of Police, and an Antioch resident, I am truly thankful for everything and everyone working to keep our community safer!

Respectfully,

Tammany Brooks III

Antioch Chief of Police

**The increase in Rape crimes was a direct result of the Department of Justice expanding the definition of that crime, which took effect January 2014.