The APD Rescue Vehicle, a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle, is an example of military equipment periodically used by the department. Herald file photo.
By PIO Ashley Crandell, Antioch Police Department
On Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. the Antioch Police Department is hosting a community meeting pertaining to Assembly Bill (AB) 481 – Military Equipment Policy (#706) Annual Report.
This meeting allows the community the opportunity to discuss and ask questions regarding the annual military equipment report and the law enforcement agency’s funding, acquisition, or use of military equipment.
To promote access to effective civic engagement and service learning for 12th graders
AUSD is pleased to announce that we have been awarded the California Serves Grant, a total of $499,911.00 in grant monies. The 2022 California State Budget established the California Serves Program (California Education Code [EC] Section 51475), a collaboration between the California Department of Education (CDE) and CaliforniaVolunteers. The California Serves Program will promote access to effective service learning for students in grade twelve, with the goal of expanding access for high school graduates in obtaining a State Seal of Civic Engagement through service learning.
According to the CDA website, “On September 10, 2020, the State Board of Education adopted criteria and guidance to award a State Seal of Civic Engagement to California students who demonstrate excellence in civics education and participation, and an understanding of the United States Constitution, the California Constitution, and the democratic system of government.” (Note: California has a Republican Form of Government, as required of all states to be admitted to the Union, and is guaranteed by the U.S. as written in Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution).
AUSD California Serves Grant Plan
The Learning through Serving project will implement a new two-course sequence to engage all AUSD students in meaningful civics education that incorporates high-quality democratic education, civic-mindedness, community engagement, and experiential learning through an evidence-based approach. The initiative will expand access and promote equity by allowing all AUSD 12th-grade students to complete the State Seal of Civics Education – a credential to which AUSD students currently do not have access.
With Learning through Serving, AUSD will finalize implementing a new course sequence for the senior year of high school, starting in the 2024-2025 school year. This sequence includes a newly approved Ethnic Studies course that pushes students to think more deeply about the world around them, including race, culture, interaction, civic engagement, and inspirational action to improve society. We will also create a new capstone project course to build onto the Ethnic Studies course, creating a year-long sequence for all Antioch seniors.
This new course sequence would become a required component of the program of study, with all AUSD 12th grade students completing the courses. Over the three-year project, an estimated 2,788 students will complete the courses across three high schools. Through increased engagement and opportunities for meaningful reflection, AUSD will indirectly address student connectedness, motivation, and participation. Additionally, the combination of professional development, education, training, and expanded course delivery will increase district-wide capacity to support long-term improvements in student academic, personal, and social-emotional outcomes.
The overnight closure of State Route 4 between Lone Tree Way and Sand Creek Road in Brentwood originally planned for Friday, May 5 through Saturday, May 6, 2023 has been postponed one week to Friday, May 12 through Saturday, May 13, 2023.
In partnership with the City of Brentwood, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is constructing the Mokelumne Trail Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing to provide safe access to cyclists and pedestrians for commuting and recreational travel, reconnecting two sides of the trail that were separated by the expansion of State Route 4.
When completed, the overcrossing will provide access to the future East County Intermodal Transit Center and BART Station in Brentwood, as well. It is part of the larger Mokelumne Coast to Crest Trail which also includes the Delta de Anza Regional Trail that runs through Antioch and Oakley, that will, when completed, connect six counties across California from the East Bay to the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The overnight closure will facilitate final adjustments to the falsework as part of the construction work installing the pedestrian and bicyclist crossing over State Route 4. This closure will impact State Route 4 in both the Eastbound and Westbound directions. CCTA and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have scheduled the closure during the early morning hours in order to minimize impacts to the motoring public.
In order to ensure crew and public safety during the planned construction work, a temporary nighttime freeway closure in both directions of State Route 4 will occur in both Eastbound and Westbound lanes of Highway 4 from midnight on Friday, May 12 until 6:00am on Saturday, May 13, 2023 (weather permitting).
Detours Detours will be in place to reroute drivers around the closure and are planned as follows: Eastbound traffic will be directed to exit at Lone Tree Way, go eastbound to Shady Willow Lane, then southbound on Shady Willow Lane to Sand Creek Road, before proceeding westbound on Sand Creek Road to the eastbound State Route 4 on-ramp.
Westbound drivers having to detour will exit on Sand Creek Road and go eastbound on Sand Creek Road to Shady Willow Lane, then northbound on Shady Willow Lane to Lone Tree Way, and proceed westbound on Lone Tree Way to the westbound State Route 4 on-ramp.
Future Freeway Closures
Additional overnight closures will be needed over the course of the next eight weeks (weather dependent) to facilitate concrete pours for the stem and soffit and deck of the future Mokelumne Trail Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing. Additional information regarding dates and detours will be provided once the schedule is confirmed. This project is anticipated to be complete in late summer or early fall of 2023.
In response to a request for more information and details about the nine shootings in Antioch since last Thursday, April 27, 2023 Antioch Police Department PIO Ashley Crandell shared the following. One shooting took the life a 31-year-old man on Monday, as previously reported and another resulted in a non-life-threatening injury.
Case 23-3101 – 3400 block of Gentrytown Drive – 4/27/2023 – 9:53 am – bullet hole located in the gutter of a residence – no injuries.
Case 23-3113 – 20 block of Service Road – 4/27/2023 – 10:50 pm – a residence was shot at – no injuries.
Case 23-3139 – 4900 block of Parkgreen Circle near Knoll Park – 4/28/2023 – 7:37 pm – one male with one gunshot wound – non-life-threatening.
Case 23-3142 – Lone Tree Way and Putnam Street – 4/28/2023 – 7:24 pm – shell casing located – no victims or suspects – no injuries.
Case 23-3161 – 4900 Country Hills Drive – 4/29/2023 – 6:22 pm – a residence was shot at – no injuries.
Case 23-3191 – 900 block of W. 9th Street – 4/30/2023 – 10:38 pm – unknown person shooting in unknown direction – no injuries.
Case 23-3219 – 2700 Hillcrest Avenue – 5/1/2023 – 7:42 pm – Homicide. The identity of the man has not yet been released by the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office.
Comment below a post on the Antioch Police Department’s Facebook page on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 announcing comments have been disabled.
“We want citizens to use the forums and city council meetings during public comment” – Acting City Manager Forrest Ebbs. Says Circuit Court decision doesn’t apply
By Allen D. Payton
In response to comments from people outside the community following the recent racist text scandal involving several officers, the Antioch Police Department has shut off the ability for the public to post comments on their Facebook page as of today, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. In a comment below a post of a video of Corporal Price Kendall “showing off his dance moves at the Multi-Cultural Event hosted at Park Middle School”, the APD wrote, “Notice: The Antioch Police Department has been directed to disable public comments on Facebook social media posts. If you would like to provide your feedback, please contact us at (925) 779-6801 or email us at APDCommunityFeedback@antiochca.gov.”
Asked who gave the direction, APD PIO Ashley Crandell responded, “The City.” Pressed further asking if it was Acting City Manager Forrest Ebbs or City Attorney Thomas L. Smith, she did not respond.
When asked about it Ebbs responded, “Directed by me in collaboration with the Chief” Steve Ford.
Asked why and if it’s legal due to the 9th Circuit Court decision which held that official use of a social media platform created a public forum, and blocking members of the public violated the First Amendment (recognizing that case and a separate 6th Circuit Court case with the opposite decision being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court) Ebbs said, “The court case doesn’t apply. That was for being selective and it must be all or nothing. The reason for the decision is we’re really trying to encourage people to use the community forums to discuss policing. We want to have a civil conversation there. Facebook doesn’t give that ability. Some of the comments were disturbing and weren’t regarding the posts. We weren’t able to comment back and address things. So, we made the decision to not use Facebook as the community forum.”
There had been no posts on the page since April 25, including nothing about the eight shootings since last Thursday including the shooting death on Monday night. Information about that incident was shared via press release. (See related article)
However, Crandell said she would work with the department’s crime analyst to provide details on the other shootings.
Comments on APD Facebook page below a post on April 24, 2023 were by three men not from Antioch.
Comments below a post on the APD Facebook page on April 24 included videos critical of Antioch Police Officer Tom Lenderman, shared by a man who lives in Santa Clarita, California and another by a man who lives in Huntsville, Alabama and another video shared by a third man who lives in Ovid, Michigan according to their own Facebook page profiles.
“We want citizens to use the forums and city council meetings during public comment. That Facebook page wasn’t set up as the forum for such an important issue as this one,” Ebbs added. “The forums are tailored to the local folks, here, in the community and Facebook allows anyone to comment.”
Note: Corporal Kendall’s impressive dance moves are worth the watch, here.
Police seek suspects including two seen running from vehicle
By Lt. John Fortner, Investigations Bureau, Antioch Police Department
On Monday, May 1, 2023, at approximately 7:41 PM, Antioch police officers responded to the report of a solo vehicle collision, in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven convenience store and 76 gas station, located at 2700 Hillcrest Avenue. Citizens nearby reported seeing two subjects run from the vehicle. It also appeared the driver was injured and not breathing.
Numerous officers responded to the scene. When officers arrived, they located one male victim in the driver’s seat suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Evidence at the scene indicated the incident likely occurred inside the vehicle. Officers immediately began administering first-aid and called for emergency fire department personnel and AMR paramedics.
Unfortunately, the victim succumbed to his injuries at the scene, and he was pronounced deceased. The suspects who fled the vehicle on-foot were not located.
Antioch Police Department’s Investigations Bureau, consisting of Crime Scene Investigators and detectives with the Violent Crimes Unit, responded to the scene and took over the investigation.
Currently, detectives are interviewing witnesses and working to identify any suspects or persons of interest. The investigation is still active, and evidence is being collected.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Gragg, rgragg@antiochca.gov, at (925) 779-6889, or Detective Palma, kpalma@antiochca.gov, at (925) 779-6286. You may also text-a-tip anonymously to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.
Mokelumne Trail Overcrossing April 2023 progress. Photo: CCTA
Midnight to 6:00 am for Mokelumne Trail overcrossing
BRENTWOOD, CA – In partnership with the City of Brentwood, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is constructing the Mokelumne Trail Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing to provide safe access to cyclists and pedestrians for commuting and recreational travel, reconnecting two sides of the trail that were separated by the expansion of State Route 4. The overnight closure will facilitate final adjustments to the falsework as part of the construction work installing the pedestrian and bicyclist crossing over State Route 4. This closure will impact State Route 4 in both the Eastbound and Westbound directions. CCTA and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) have scheduled the closure during the early morning hours in order to minimize impacts to the motoring public.
Overnight Freeway Closure of State Route 4 between Lone Tree Way and Sand Creek Road In order to ensure crew and public safety during the planned construction work, a temporary nighttime freeway closure in both directions of State Route 4 will occur between Friday, May 5, 2023 and Saturday, May 6, 2023 on the following schedule (weather permitting): Eastbound and Westbound Highway 4 will be closed from midnight on Friday, May 5 until 6:00am on Saturday, May 6, 2023.
Detours Detours will be in place to reroute drivers around the closure and are planned as follows: Eastbound traffic will be directed to exit at Lone Tree Way, go eastbound to Shady Willow Lane, then southbound on Shady Willow Lane to Sand Creek Road, before proceeding westbound on Sand Creek Road to the eastbound State Route 4 on-ramp.
Westbound drivers having to detour will exit on Sand Creek Road and go eastbound on Sand Creek Road to Shady Willow Lane, then northbound on Shady Willow Lane to Lone Tree Way, and proceed westbound on Lone Tree Way to the westbound State Route 4 on-ramp.
Future Freeway Closures
Additional overnight closures will be needed over the course of the next eight weeks (weather dependent) to facilitate concrete pours for the stem and soffit and deck of the future Mokelumne Trail Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing. Additional information regarding dates and detours will be provided once the schedule is confirmed. This project is anticipated to be complete in late summer or early fall of 2023.
About the Contra Costa Transportation Authority
The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa voters in 1988 to manage the county’s transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide transportation planning efforts. With a staff of twenty people managing a multi-billion-dollar suite of projects and programs, CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also serves as the county’s designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in place to keep traffic levels manageable. More information about CCTA is available at ccta.net.
Sixth arrest this year including one the day before, has history of arrests dating to July 2018
By Chief Paul Bard, Oakley Police Department
On April 27, 2023 at 9:11AM Officers B. Jackson and A. Hurtado were on patrol in the area of Main Street at Neroly Road when they saw a white Saturn vehicle being driven in a reckless and haphazard manner. Officers Jackson and Hurtado attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver fled from them and lead them on a pursuit.
The pursuit went into the City of Antioch via Laurel Road. The driver briefly yielded at the intersection of Laurel Road and Canada Valley only to take off again. The driver then took several routes through the City of Antioch with Officers Jackson and Hurtado being joined by Officer Radcliffe and his canine partner “Harkon”.
Eventually the driver ended up driving down Fulton Shipyard Road to the dead end. The driver attempted to drive beyond what is typically able to be navigated at the end of the road, but then he came to a stop. The driver also opened his door and showed signs he was getting ready to run from our officers.
The driver, identified as Matthew Quiroz (Antioch, 36), however opted to surrender and comply at that point, and he was taken into custody.
Quiroz was booked into jail for being in possession of a stolen vehicle and for leading our officers on a pursuit.
Matthew Quiroz has been arrested five times so far in 2023. It appears as if Quiroz was released from jail (in Martinez) this morning, for the crime he committed yesterday, and quite possibly the first thing he did was steal a car to come to Oakley. The following constitutes Quiroz’ known criminal activities in 2023:
February 8, 2023- arrested for being under the influence of drugs and unable to care for himself (Brentwood PD)
February 22, 2023- identified as the suspect in a carjacking involving threats of harm and death (Oakley PD)
March 5, 2023- arrested for robbery, terrorist threats, false imprisonment and probation violation (Antioch PD)
April 15, 2023- arrested for being drunk in public and unable to care for himself (Antioch PD)
April 26, 2023- arrested for lewd conduct and theft (Antioch PD)
April 27, 2023- arrested for evading officers and being in possession of a stolen vehicle (Oakley PD)
I suspect some people will look at the pattern of Quiroz’ activities and come to the conclusion many of his offenses have been “victimless crimes”. What I see however, is a strong pattern of criminal activity. We are barely past one quarter of 2023 and Quiroz has been arrested more times in this quarter than most readers of this article have been in their whole lives. When I consider the fact pattern of our carjacking case in February, the fact Quiroz was arrested for robbery and false imprisonment in March, and when I consider the lives Quiroz placed at risk during today’s pursuit I see many opportunities for his actions to create a great number of victims, so I am not apt to equate no harm to no foul. These crimes (fouls) did occur and there are victims associated to them.
Are you tired of the consistent pattern of crimes that occur time and time again? Are you tired of the more violent society we have? Are you tired of organized retail thefts when you spend your time working hard to pay for everything you need? If you answered ‘yes’ to all three of these questions I am in complete agreement with you. We need better legislation. We need legislation that would work for the people to undo the damage AB 109, Prop 47 and Prop 57 have done and we need to return necessary tools back to prosecutors, and the criminal justice system as a whole, in order to establish much more accountability for criminal behavior and a much greater degree of safety for society. Until then I will continue to appreciate and rely on the police officers of the Oakley Police Department, and the region as a whole, to keep doing what they do to keep the public safe.
Stay safe everybody.”
Suspect Has History of Arrests
In addition to his arrests this year, ccording to localcrimenws.com, Quiroz has a history of arrested dating back to July 2018 by the Solano County Sheriff’s, Antioch, BART Police, Vallejo, American Canyon and San Leandro Police Departments for outstanding warrants, parole violations, drug possession, assault with a deadly weapon or with force likely to cause great bodily harm, threats of violence, vandalism of $6,000 or more and failure to appear.
