Vigilante's ambush collars S.F. suspect

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 6/24/02 | David Parrish

[Homer_J_Simpson]

When San Francisco police said they couldn't spare an officer to arrest a man suspected of stealing Tom Van Lokeren's credit cards and checks, the 47-year-old North Beach tax accountant took matters into his own hands.

Van Lokeren bought a large fishing net at Fisherman's Wharf, some pepper spray and a stun gun at a military surplus store and then lured the suspect into a trap on a busy downtown street.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

"You don't put yourself in harm's way because you don't like the way the police handled it. What if this guy did have a gun -- and you only have net,"

Then you would be providing a great demonstration of why guns for police and criminals only is a stupid policy.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

A nephew, Paul Van Lokeren, assisted in the arrest and expressed dismay at the lack of police help, saying: "They are basically just report-takers. They are secretaries with guns."

Dial 911 and Die

[TADSLOS]

I don't know who I hold in more contempt, the perp or the cops.

[Focault's Pendulum]

We certainly don't encourage the public to make their own arrest. That's our job."

No further comment needed.

[Mr. Lucky]

If San Fransisco would only adopt stricter gun control, none of this would have been necessary.

[The Grim Freeper]

Let me tell you about my San Francisco police experience. About 6-7 years ago, my boyfriend (I not living a Christ-like life at the time) was driving me to a San Francisco hospital for a sleep test. We were stopped at a stop light during rush hour traffic. I had my window down (my boyfriend drove a beautiful white Mercedes--I don't know what it was, but it was the sports engine, high-end car), and we were arguing about something. All of a sudden, some black guy runs over to the car, comes in through my window, grabs my purse from the floorboard, between my legs, and takes off. My boyfriend managed to grab his knit 49'ers hat as he was ducking back out the window. I opened the car door (as I said, we were stuck in traffic), and ran into the housing project where the theif ran, and he run up to the roof. Another black guy came out to me and asked me what I was doing in there. I told him, and he told me it was no place for a white person. He said I could get killed in that project. He escorted me back out to the street, where my boyfriend was parked and talking to two police officers who were in the area. I told them where the theif had fled, but THEY REFUSED TO GO AFTER HIM. They took a report and basically said they were afraid to go in the project themselves.

The theif that stole my purse (also had my Soc. Sec. card, drivers license, credit cards, checkbook, gave my identification to some creep who used my checks to by hundreds of dollars worth of stuff and stole my identity for awhile.

[RippleFire]

BUMP

[Argus]

"I was yelling 'Stop him, stop him,' " Tom Van Lokeren said. "Some homeless guy with one leg in a wheelchair sticks out his leg and almost trips him up," said Paul Van Lokeren, "Another guy bodychecks him into a liquor store door."

I don't care what anybody says, the Frisco Tenderloin has the best bums in the world.

[Twodees]

Of course you're right. Also, the SF cops are extremely busy guarding the gay community. They have to track down serial hair pullers and investigate drive-by face slappings all the time.

[eno_]

If the Drug War ended, they would have to go do dangerous things like chase thieves into projects.

[American Preservative]

Vigilante Streets of San Francisco ping! : )

"Remember when WE used get the bad guys, Steve?"
"I remember, Mike. I remember."

[Drango]

I don't care what anybody says, the Frisco Tenderloin has the best bums in the world.

Yes indeed...The bums did make more of an effort than the cops did...

[dcwusmc]

Good pic. Streets of SF bump and a question for SFPD: When will you secretaries with guns start doing your job? Morons. You guys are real good at writing tickets and harrassing people but when it gets to crunch time, you're nowhere to be found. Hmmmmmm. Too PC to crush REAL crime? Must be.

[The KG9 Kid]

I remember when cops used to look like cops.

When I moved from Los Angeles to SF, the first thing I noticed is how sloppy the cops were. I've seen long hair, paunchy gut, sloppy uniform, ear-rings, gum-chewing, and hands in pockets all at the same time on a single cop. I thought he was a bus driver until I saw the worn butt of his service revolver. I've seen female cops with long painted nails and even longer braided cornrow hairstyles that look inviting for a throat-slashing perp to grab hold of.

In Los Angeles, cops pretty much look like clones of each other: The highly-wired and agitated rookie cop that Sean Penn played in the movie 'Colors'.

LAPD has had it's share of problems, but I will say one thing for them: They aren't afraid of anything.

[Rebelbase]

"During the struggle, Stevens was knocked into a liquor store's glass door, shattering it, but apparently suffered no injuries"

No injuries until an ambulance chasing lawyer reads the article and explains to Mr. Stevens the "benefits" of a civil lawsuit.

[Demosthenes]

....yep.....Spit out my soda...choking....laughing....

[Twodees]

Yeah, I love that one. I stole it from Joseph Wambaugh, though. Remember him? He wrote "The Choirboys" and other great cop novels.