Bay Area

Multiple Agencies Coordinate to Arrest Serial Armed Robbery Suspect

A man suspected of being a serial armed robber was arrested near San Quentin State Prison on Monday, the San Rafael Police Department said. Corey Brian Gill, 33, of San Rafael, was apprehended with the help of multiple law enforcement agencies.

Published

11 months ago

June 24, 2023

Oakland Post

The City of San Rafael Calif. Police Department logo. (San Rafael Police Department via Bay City News)

By Bay City News

A man suspected of being a serial armed robber was arrested near San Quentin State Prison on Monday, the San Rafael Police Department said.

Corey Brian Gill, 33, of San Rafael, was apprehended with the help of multiple law enforcement agencies.

On June 13, San Rafael Police began investigating a series of robberies, beginning with one at a gas station at about 3 a.m. that day. The suspect allegedly went to the Fuel 24:7 gas station at the corner of Las Gallinas Avenue and Del Presidio Boulevard in Terra Linda and robbed the clerk while brandishing a handgun. The suspect left with an undisclosed amount of cash and merchandise, police said.

The suspect was described as white man with a medium build who was wearing a gray sweatshirt, black vest, light-colored pants and a black hat, with a surgical mask over his face. He was seen fleeing in a dark-colored SUV.

Then on Sunday at 1:20 a.m., San Rafael Police responded to another robbery at the Chevron station on Del Presidio in Terra Linda. A similarly described suspect allegedly confronted the clerk with a handgun and demanded cash and gas. During the encounter, the suspect took an undisclosed amount of cash and then forced the clerk to walk to a gas pump, where he filled the suspect’s vehicle. The suspect then fled, police said.

Later that day, Novato Police contacted SRPD to report that a suspect matching the description of the San Rafael robberies had robbed a restaurant.

At 7 a.m., the suspect allegedly entered the Panera Bread restaurant in Novato brandishing a handgun, ordered the employees into a back office and demanded money. He fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. Novato Police said they obtained surveillance footage of the same suspect’s vehicle leaving the area.

On Monday just before 6 a.m., a San Rafael Sergeant saw a vehicle that appeared to match the suspect’s SUV on Fourth Street and Grand Avenue. When the vehicle allegedly committed a minor traffic offense, the officer attempted to stop it. As the officer turned on his emergency lights, the vehicle sped away and police began a pursuit. The chase went down Francisco Boulevard East and ended in the area of Lecante Drive and Main Street near San Quentin State Prison. The suspect abandoned the vehicle and fled into the residential neighborhood.

A perimeter was created by police to try to contain the suspect. Since the suspect was known to be armed with a handgun, San Rafael Police and the Marin County Sheriff’s Office told nearby residents to shelter in place.

In addition to the Sheriff’s Office, SRPD asked for assistance from the Novato Police, the Central Marin Police Authority, the California Highway Patrol and authorities at San Quentin State Prison. The Sheriff’s Office employed drones to try and locate the suspect as well. Crisis teams readied a response with negotiators and tactical teams.

As teams prepared to begin their search, a vehicle with the suspect trying to hide in the backseat approached a police perimeter checkpoint near Main Street and Interstate Highway 580, police said.

Officers said that the woman driving the car was acting “suspiciously” as she stopped for them. When officers peered into the back seat, they allege they saw the suspect trying to hide under a blanket.

Gill was then taken into custody without incident. Police said that he had an outstanding warrant out of San Francisco connected to an armed robbery from May. San Francisco Police sent two detectives to Marin, SRPD said.

Officials at San Quentin State Prison searched the nearby neighborhood and allegedly found Gill’s discarded clothes a block from where he fled from his vehicle. Marin Search and Rescue later located the discarded handgun, which was determined to be a replica BB gun. The replica allegedly matched the appearance of the gun used in the armed robberies.

Gill was booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of armed robbery, kidnapping, felony evading, felony possession of a stolen vehicle and misdemeanor narcotics possession. He will also face extradition to San Francisco for his armed robbery warrant.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 8 – 14, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May May 8 – 14, 2024

Published

3 days ago

May 10, 2024

Oakland Post

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S.F. Black Leaders Rally to Protest, Discuss ‘Epidemic’ of Racial Slurs Against Black Students in SF Public School System

Parents at the meeting spoke of their children as no longer feeling safe in school because of bullying and discrimination. Parents also said that reported incidents such as racial slurs and intimidation are not dealt with to their satisfaction and feel ignored.

Published

1 week ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church. Photo courtesy Third Baptist Church.

By Carla Thomas

San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church hosted a rally and meeting Sunday to discuss hatred toward African American students of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church, along with leadership from local civil rights groups, the city’s faith-based community and Black community leadership convened at the church.

“There has been an epidemic of racial slurs and mistreatment of Black children in our public schools in the city,” said Brown. “This will not be tolerated.”

According to civil rights advocate Mattie Scott, students from elementary to high school have reported an extraordinary amount of racial slurs directed at them.

“There is a surge of overt racism in the schools, and our children should not be subjected to this,” said Scott. “Students are in school to learn, develop, and grow, not be hated on,” said Scott. “The parents of the children feel they have not received the support necessary to protect their children.”

Attendees were briefed last Friday in a meeting with SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne.

SFUSD states that their policies protect children and they are not at liberty to publicly discuss the issues to protect the children’s privacy.

Some parents said they have removed their students from school while other parents and community leaders called on the removal of the SFUSD superintendent, the firing of certain school principals and the need for more supportive school board members.

Community advocates discussed boycotting the schools and creating Freedom Schools led by Black leaders and educators, reassuring parents that their child’s wellbeing and education are the highest priority and youth are not to be disrupted by racism or policies that don’t support them.

Virginia Marshall, chair of the San Francisco NAACP’s education committee, offered encouragement to the parents and students in attendance while also announcing an upcoming May 14 school board meeting to demand accountability over their mistreatment.

“I’m urging anyone that cares about our students to pack the May 14 school board meeting,” said Marshall.

This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate Program. The program is supported by partnership with California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.

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Bay Area

Mayor London Breed: State Awards San Francisco Over $37M for Affordable Housing

On April 30, Mayor London N. Breed announced San Francisco has been awarded more than $37.9 million in funding from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as part of the State’s Multifamily Housing Program (MHP). The HCD loan will provide the final funding necessary for development of Casa Adelante – 1515 South Van Ness, a 168-unit affordable housing project located in San Francisco’s Mission District.

Published

1 week ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed (File Photo)

By Oakland Post Staff

The HCD loan will provide the final funding necessary for development of Casa Adelante – 1515 South Van Ness, a 168-unit affordable housing project located in San Francisco’s Mission District.

The new development at 1515 South Van Ness Ave. will provide 168 affordable homes to low-income families, formerly homeless families, and persons living with HIV earning between 25-80% of the San Francisco Area Median Income (AMI).

In addition, the project is anticipated to provide family-friendly amenities and ground floor community-serving commercial spaces that preserve the prevailing neighborhood character of the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District.

“This funding unlocks our ability to move on building affordable housing units for families in San Francisco at a crucial time. We understand the level of need for more housing that is accessible, and like the state, the city continues to face a challenging budget cycle,” said Breed. “1515 South Van Ness is a good example of what can be achieved in San Francisco when you have strong community partnerships and an unwavering commitment to deliver on critical needs for our residents.”

“From the beginning of my term as Supervisor, I have fought to bring affordable housing to 1515 South Van Ness” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen. “In the interim, the site has been utilized for homeless services and shelter, and I am thrilled that HCD has recognized the value of this development, and we are finally ready to break ground and bring 168 affordable homes to low income and formerly homeless families in the Mission.”

Owned and occupied by McMillan Electric Company until 2015, the City and County of San Francisco purchased 1515 South Van Ness Avenue in June 2019 with the intent of developing new affordable housing.

In November 2020, the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) released a Multi-site Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking qualified developers to build affordable housing on the site, and subsequently selected Chinatown Community Development Corporation (CCDC) and Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) in May 2021 to develop the site.

The project is expected to begin construction in winter 2025.

“A strong, long-term push by Mission advocates to make this site 100% affordable is now paying off, with 168 family units that include services and childcare. People of color communities know what they need, and we are excited to be in partnership with a team, consisting of MEDA, CCDC, and MOHCD, that listens,” said Malcolm Yeung, Executive Director at CCDC.

“We are excited to be in partnership with CCDC, yet again, and for the opportunity to develop intergenerational affordable housing in the City’s Mission District,” said Luis Granados, executive director at MEDA.

Increasing housing affordable to lower-income and vulnerable residents is a key priority in the City’s Housing Element which calls for additional funding for affordable housing production and preservation, as well as Mayor Breed’s Housing for All Executive Directive that sets out the steps the City will take to meet the bold goal of allowing for 82,000 new homes to be built over the next eight years.

Tuesday’s funding announcement emphasizes the importance of regional and state collaboration in order to reach our housing and climate goals.

“We are thrilled—not just to bring a project of this size to a community with great need — but to do so with community-based developers and their partners who understand the neighborhood and sensitivities around cultural preservation,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez.