Police arrest suspected 'East Bay Pirates' who allegedly raided boats on Oakland waterfront



The Oakland Police Department announced that it recently arrested three suspected "East Bay Pirates" who allegedly raided houseboats and yachts along Oakland's waterfront, KRON reported.

On Thursday, authorities detained three individuals believed to be connected to a March 13 robbery that targeted a maritime business on the 1300 block of Embarcadero, a San Francisco waterfront. The break-in prompted a joint investigation between the Oakland Police Department Marine Unit and the Criminal Investigation Division Burglary Unit.

Police officers used security footage provided by the business to identify the suspects, who they recognized as individuals residing on boats in the Oakland Estuary, KPIX-TV reported. Law enforcement officials recovered items stolen from the business on two ships associated with the detained individuals.

Authorities will present the case to Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price's office for charging. George Soros-backed Price is currently facing a recall effort over her soft-on-crime policies, which critics argue have led to a significant uptick in crime in Oakland.

Residents living in houseboats and yachts along the waterfront have reported an increase in theft and physical confrontations with the "East Bay Pirates," according to Fox News Digital. The thieves use small stolen or abandoned boats to reach and break into larger ships docked in the area.

During an October San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission's enforcement meeting, former harbormaster Brock de Lappe stated, "The open shoreline of the (Oakland-Alameda) estuary is littered with sunken wrecks and derelict, end-of-life vessels, and crime has risen to truly intolerable levels."

"Multiple vessels have been stolen and ransacked. Victims have had to resort to personally confronting the criminals to recover their property without the benefit of police support. Is this an appropriate activity for a 79-year-old senior?" de Lappe questioned.

Alameda Police Chief Nishant Joshi told Fox News Digital, "In the waterways, it's very difficult to draw a line."

"There are no roadways or fence lines, so we all have a shared interest, much like crime as a whole, to deal with this as a regional approach," Joshi noted.

A Coast Guard spokesperson called the waterfront burglaries "a federal and state problem," Fox News Digital reported.

"We're all working to protect the best interests of everyone in the estuary," the representative told the news outlet.

Oakland police are still investigating the thefts.

Residents across Oakland have sounded the alarm about the area's out-of-control crime problem. Several San Francisco Bay Area businesses, including Denny's, In-N-Out, Black Bear Diner, Subway, and Starbucks, announced that they would close amid the crime wave. Last month, Taco Bell stated that several of its Oakland locations will close their dining rooms following several recent robberies.

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Retired judge leads recall effort to oust Oakland mayor who 'ruined our city,' citing rampant crime and shuttered businesses



A retired Oakland, California, judge told KTVU on Saturday that the mayor, Sheng Thao (D), has "ruined our city."

Alameda Superior Court Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte is spearheading a recall effort to oust Thao over claims the mayor has "caused a number of problems."

"She didn't inherit all these problems," Harbin-Forte told KTVU. "People who say give her more time. More time to do what? She has ruined our city."

Thao removed Harbin-Forte from the Oakland Police Commission last year. The retired judge called her removal a "badge of honor."

Victory Baptist Church Pastor Marty Jenkins expressed his frustration with the mayor during a recall rally over the weekend.

"Look at the potholes. Look at homelessness. Look at the jobs. Look at the businesses that are leaving Oakland," he stated.

Edward Escobar of Citizens Unite told the rally attendees, "We are not getting the services we deserve throughout, and the crime is spreading."

Tuan Ngo of Asians Unite remarked, "She either resigns or gets recalled because she's not doing her job, and we see the consequences for her failure every day."

The recall effort must collect at least 25,000 signatures from registered voters by July to get on the ballot. According to Seneca Scott, the recall's organizer, the campaign should reach the minimum number of signatures months before the deadline.

"Twelve-thousand five-hundred people plus who have signed already to recall Mayor Sheng Thao," Scott said. The recall petition is only three weeks into the signature gathering.

Taco Bell recently announced that it would no longer offer indoor dining at its Oakland locations, citing an uptick in crime. Scott responded to the news in a recent post on X, writing, "Oakland is ground zero for 'progressive' policies that intentionally fail the working class. It's all part of their sick, twisted plan. Oakland neighbors have awaken [sic] and we are now fighting against these bad actors."

The area's crime wave has also pushed many other businesses to announce closures, including Denny's, In-N-Out, Black Bear Diner, Subway, and Starbucks. Some business owners recently declared that they would refuse to pay taxes if the city continues to ignore the uptick in criminal activity.

Thao told KTVU, "My focus is fighting for a safer, more affordable and more prosperous Oakland. I ask Oaklanders to help me achieve that vision with hope and collaboration and push aside fear and division. Let's bring our community together to fight for the city we love."

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, known for her progressive, soft-on-crime policies, is also facing a recall effort launched by fed-up Oakland residents. The campaign submitted signatures for verification earlier this month.


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Video: Female worker swings hammer at masked thief at pizza shop in Oakland where crime has been off the charts



Surveillance video caught the moment when a female worker resorted to swinging a hammer at a masked thief at a pizza shop in Oakland where crime just seems to grow worse by the day.

Indeed, video also showed Cybelle's Pizza employees using a recycling bin to fight off the crooks who entered the shop around 10:30 p.m. Friday, KGO-TV reported.

"They tried to steal the register. ... My employees were very, very brave. ...I told them don't do that ... but they had to defend themselves," owner Elizabeth Sanchez told the station.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Sanchez told KGO that Friday's incident was the latest of four similar crimes that have already taken place in her Oakland shop this year.

She added to the station that crime in the area is so bad that it's difficult to retain workers — and that she and her husband work seven days a week and are considering closing their Oakland location. KGO said they also have a San Francisco shop.

"Sales are down because nobody wants to come out; they're scared for their safety," Sanchez told the station. "We've seen a drop in sales, and we're worse than during the pandemic."

A representative from Mayor Sheng Thao's office noted to KGO that they've been working with Sanchez and other small business owners on better security, and Sanchez added to the station that a budget seems to be in the works for such a purpose.

"All of the business owners need help," she noted to KGO. "In-and-Out [Burger], Denny's, those are big chains — but what about us, [a] small business? Where are we at? For me, as an immigrant, this was the American dream. But now where is it?"

California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom said earlier this week he's sending additional state officers to Oakland to curb the “alarming and unacceptable” crime wave there.

EXCLUSIVE: Bay Area pizza restaurant employees fight back after 4 robberies in the last month youtu.be

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Democratic Rep. Cuellar carjacked in Washington, DC



U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) was carjacked Monday evening in the Navy Yard area of Washington, D.C., roughly a mile away from the U.S. Capitol.

Police indicated the incident took place around 9:30 p.m. at New Jersey Avenue and K Streets, reported the Washington Post.

"As Congressman Cuellar was parking his car this evening, 3 armed assailants approached the Congressman and stole his vehicle. Luckily, he was not harmed and is working with local law enforcement," Jacob Hochberg, Cuellar's chief of staff, said in a statement.

DC Alerts indicated that the suspects were black males wearing all-black clothing and had stolen a white Honda with Texas tags, which Hochberg indicated has since been recovered.

According to the New York Times, the congressman's iPad and iPhone had also been taken.

The U.S. Capitol Police reportedly now have investigators working with the Metropolitan Police on the case.

In response to Cuellar's carjacking, Utah Sen. Mike Lee wrote, "My friend, @RepCuellar (D. TX), became the victim of a crime tonight in what's considered a nice part of D.C. D.C. is dangerous. Something's gone terribly wrong here—for far too long. Congress has the sole power to make D.C.’s laws, and must intervene."

Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, similarly suggested that "this crisis in our nation's capital is, under the US Constitution, the responsibility of Congress. DO SOMETHING!"

Cuellar, a supporter of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act who has family in law enforcement, is the latest victim of a trend in the Democrat-run city that is getting aggressively worse.

Metropolitan Police Department records indicate motor vehicle theft is up 106% this year over 2022, with 5,398 reports of stolen vehicles.

Most types of crime are actually up in the city such that even the consulate for crime-ravaged Mexico has warned its nationals to "take precautions" in the city due to "a significant increase in crime in areas previously considered safe," reported ABC News.

Murders, of which there have been 215 already this year, are up 37%. Sex abuse is up 3%. Assaults with dangerous weapons are up 2%. Robberies, of which the city has seen over 2,600 in 2023, are up 68%. General theft is up 22%. Arson is up 125%.

Cuellar's carjacking is not the first time in recent months that a Democratic lawmaker has fallen victim to the crime now devouring D.C.

Rep. Angela Craig (D-Minn.) was attacked inside the elevator of her apartment building in February, reported Politico.

The deranged attacker, later identified as 26-year-old Kendrick Hamlin, entered the elevator along with the congresswoman, did some push-ups, then began punching Craig in the face and grabbing her neck. Craig reportedly escaped by dousing the suspect with hot coffee and then bolting.

Hamlin, accused of also attacking the two police officers who ultimately arrested him, pleaded guilty in June to assaulting Craig.

Other workers on the Hill have similarly been caught up in the worsening trend.

One of Sen. Rand Paul's aides was "brutally attacked in broad daylight" in March, reported NPR. The staffer, Phillip Todd, was stabbed multiple times and would likely have perished had it not been for the intervention of a friend.

The Hill reported that a staffer for Republican Rep. Brad Finstad (Minn.) was attacked in June outside his home, blocks away from the U.S. Capitol building.

The staffer, left with minor injuries, told MPD that "while walking home two males wearing black hoodies pushed him to the ground and pointed a black hand gun at him."

After D.C. marked its 200th murder earlier this month, Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has been at odds in recent months with soft-on-crime leftists on the D.C. Council, said the District was having a "bad year," reported the Washington Times.

This "bad" and ostensibly ever-worsening year might have something to do with the precedent set in 2022 by Matthew Graves, the Biden-appointed U.S. attorney for the District, who the Washington Examiner indicated had declined to prosecute nearly 70% of the people arrested by police.

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Oregon's most populous county dropping charges against hundreds of people accused of various crimes, including hit-and-run incidents and assaults



Hundreds of suspected wife-beaters, burglars, drunk drivers, and berserkers of various intensity will not face justice in Oregon's most populous county, according to leftist Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt. For lack of public defenders, dangerous personalities are being set free under the justified impression that Portland, the slogan of which is "the City that Works," is a legally dysfunctional city in a legally dysfunctional county.

What are the details?

Schmidt announced on Monday that in "February of this year, a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge dismissed the first of what is now nearing 300 cases due to a lack of defense counsel over my objection on the basis of victims’ rights."

The ardent BLM supporter indicated that every week since, judges have dismissed case hearings, meaning accused criminals are being cut loose.

Citing "a lack of public defenders to provide counsel to defendants," Schmidt indicated that the "courts are put in the position of releasing defendants without prosecutors having so much as an opportunity to request bail or release conditions. And it’s not getting any better."

According to Schmidt, last week, "a suspect that allegedly ran a car into a school bus of children, which subsequently had to be evacuated due to a leak caused by the incident, was released within 24 hours of his arrest due to lack of a defense counsel."

It's not just potential maniacs driving into school buses who are going free under the leftist D.A.'s watch.

Between Feb. 24 and Oct. 31, 285 felony and misdemeanor cases were dismissed, including:

  • 139 cases prosecuted by the A/B Unit, which deals with felonies, including property crimes and human trafficking offenses;
  • 43 cases prosecuted by Unit C, which deals with major felonies, including vehicular assaults and gang-related offenses;
  • 11 cases prosecuted by Unit D, which tackles felony assault cases;
  • Five cases (two assaults, one strangulation, one criminal mischief, and one coercion) prosecuted by the DV Unit, which deals with domestic violence cases;
  • One Multi-Disciplinary Team unit child abuse case; and
  • Six District Court Trial cases, dealing with misdemeanors that accompanied felonies as lesser charges.

80 of the property crime charges dismissed due to a lack of counsel were car thefts.

Nine assaults, six robberies, three hit-and-run felonies, and other personal crimes will go unpunished.

Two individuals who failed to register as sex offenders were also let off.

Stressing the system

11 days after being elected district attorney with the help of the scandal-plagued radical Shaun King, Schmidt made a name for himself by refusing to prosecute BLM rioters.

Courthouse News reported that the leftist D.A. refrained from "pursuing charges of disorderly conduct, interfering with a police officer, criminal trespass and most charges of rioting."

Schmidt had claimed that holding rioters to account would "undermine public safety, not promote it."

By Oct. 5, 2020, Schmidt's office had dropped charges in nearly 90% of the riot-related cases, reported KOIN.

Multnomah County has reportedly been facing the fallout of that soft-on-crime approach ever since. It doesn't help that Schmidt hasn't changed his ways.

Fox News reported in September that the Portland Police Bureau, financially gutted by the city council and suffering staff shortages since the BLM riots, has struggled to keep up with the rising crime under Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's watch.

Last year, there were 90 homicides in Portland, 24 more than the previous record set in 1987.

Portland scores a three on Neighborhood Scout's crime index, where 100 is safest. The chances of becoming a victim of a violent crime are one in 187. In the Democrat-controlled state of Oregon, the odds are one in 342.

Things fall apart

Whereas in past years Schmidt elected not to prosecute various crimes, he now suggests the decision is out of his hands, with the "complex chain" strained by rising crime, understaffed police, and an insufficient number of public defenders.

In a March 27 opinion piece in the Oregonian, Schmidt wrote, "Defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges and law enforcement officers are all links in the complex chain that is the criminal justice system. At every link in that chain, there are obvious signs of extreme stress, rapidly nearing the point of breakage."

Schmidt suggested that attorneys were bailing out of his office as a result of "the weight of crushing workloads driven by the pandemic, where case counts have increased by as much as 300%."

The district attorney also claimed that case counts were up despite police — whose confidence in Schmidt has been low — allegedly only referring a small percent of crimes to his office.

The inability to try and convict criminals "sends a message to crime victims in our community that justice is unavailable and their harm will go unaddressed," said Schmidt.

Schmidt added, "It also sends a message to individuals who have committed a crime that there is no accountability while burning through scarce police and prosecutor resources. Every day that this crisis persists presents an urgent and continuing threat to public safety."

Instead of a solution, Schmidt offered transparency, saying his "office will publish every case dismissed or set over as a result of this crisis weekly until it is resolved."

Accordingly, the public will know the nature of the alleged crimes that will go unpunished in their county.

69-Year-Old Philadelphia Man TIRED of the Crime Wave | The Chad Prather Show

69-Year-Old Philadelphia Man TIRED of the Crime Wave | The Chad Prather Show

'Her ego is bigger than the crime level': Resigning Chicago 911 dispatcher blasts far-left Mayor Lori Lightfoot's 'lies,' lack of support, misplaced priorities



A resigning Chicago 911 dispatcher blasted what he said is the city's lack of support for police and emergency services — and particularly the "lies" and misplaced priorities of controversial, far-left Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

"Her ego is bigger than the crime level here in Chicago," Keith Thornton Jr. told Fox News Tuesday.

What are the details?

Thornton — who said he's moving on to a leadership position in emergency management outside the city — told "Fox & Friends First" that things are out of control in Chicago and he simply has had enough.

"With no leadership ... no transparency from ... City Hall ... and just a very negligent administration, it was just time," Thornton said. "I'm tired of it."

He added that Lightfoot and city officials are telling "a bunch of lies" regarding Chicago's crime problem: "Constantly, every week, every other day, they're saying that the stats are down with violent crime and people shot and homicides. Listen: Being on the other side of the radio as a dispatcher in Chicago, I'm like, 'This is nonsense' … I don't stand for that. This is wrong."

Fox News noted that in 2020 there were 13,000 police in the city, and now that number is down to 11,600 — not to mention the rise in sexual assaults, robbery, burglary, and theft.

More from the cable network:

Chicago police made arrests in 12% of crime cases in 2021, the lowest rate since 2001, as sweeping changes have been made in recent years as to how the department patrols the streets, including restricting their vehicle pursuit policy and ending foot pursuits if a suspect runs from an officer or if someone commits a minor offense.

Thornton added to Fox News that city residents "call [911] with people shot right there while I'm listening and my colleagues are listening, it's sad. Because we're supposed to tell these citizens a bunch of fluff and nonsense that they have resources and police coming to the scenes, and there's hours and hours before we actually can get a lot of these officers to many of the scenes throughout the entire city ... crime has just skyrocketed."

On top of all of that, he added to Fox News that Lightfoot has been "out of control" with misplaced priorities such as her promotion of NASCAR in the city and the Lollapalooza music festival instead of protecting citizens.

"Absolute trash," Thornton emphasized to the cable network.

(H/T: Police Tribune)

The Princess Bride Fights Back

The Princess Bride Fights Back

Charges dropped against 16-year-old rapper and gangbanger who was accused of shooting NYPD officer



Charges have been dropped against a teenage rapper who was accused of shooting an NYPD officer earlier this year.

The gun and assault case against Camrin Williams, a 16-year-old gangbanger and rapper who goes by the stage name “C Blu,” were dropped on Friday, the New York Post reported.

The city Law Department released a statement that said Williams “cannot be prosecuted” without elaborating why.

Williams was facing charges stemming from a scuffle he engaged in this past January where he allegedly shot 27-year-old police officer Kaseem Pennant in the leg while he was already on probation for a prior gun case.

According to police, Williams’ gun went off while he was in the middle of a scuffle with an officer who was responding to a call concerning a disorderly gathering of people.

Williams is reportedly a member of the Reywey Crew, a subset of the Crips.

Bronx Supreme Court Justice Denis Boyle set the gangbanging and rapping teenager’s bond at $250,000 in February. Williams was able to quickly post it after receiving a signing bonus from his contract with Interscope Records.

One week after making bail, Williams was hauled back into juvenile court for violating his probation, but it appears that Williams's luck changed earlier this week with the dismissal of his latest case.

In a prepared statement, the city Law Department said, “Just because the city cannot prosecute doesn’t mean this individual should have been carrying an illegal weapon — a weapon which contributed to both him and an officer being shot.”

“Pursuant to Family Court Law, the case is now sealed and we are unable to say more about the matter,” the statement continued.

Patrick J. Lynch, the president of the NYPD Police Benevolent Association, said that the decision to drop the charges against Williams was “absurd.”

He said, “This absurd decision should outrage every New Yorker who wants to get illegal guns off our streets. There is no dispute that this individual was caught carrying an illegal gun for the second time. If perps like this face absolutely no consequences, even after shooting a cop, we have to ask: why bother sending us out to get the guns at all?”

Williams was previously arrested in the Bronx in May 2020, at the age of 14, for the possession of a Tauris firearm.

Los Angeles gangs are sending crews to stalk and rob the city's elite



Street violence continues to spiral out of control in California, as gangs organize crews to carry out attacks on the wealthy elite of Los Angeles.

More than a dozen Los Angeles gangs are targeting some of the city’s wealthiest residents with increasingly aggressive tactics. Gangs are sending crews out in vehicle convoys to find, follow, and rob Los Angelinos they find driving high-end luxury cars or wearing expensive jewelry.

SFGate reported that “in many cases, [gang members are] making off with designer handbags, diamond-studded watches and other items worth tends of thousands of dollars — if not more — and then peddling them to black-market buyers who are willing to turn a blind eye to the underlying violence.”

According to the police, some suspects in these robberies have been arrested but are soon released from custody, only to commit additional robberies.

The police are calling these robberies “follow-home” or “follow-off” robberies because they are often taking place shortly after victims leave luxury boutiques, hotels, expensive restaurants, nightclubs, or other pricey locations where gang members scout for targets.

Capt. Jonathan Tippet of the Los Angeles Police Department is spearheading a task force to identify and stop the individuals carrying out these attacks. He has identified at least 17 distinct gangs that operate independent “follow-home” robbery operations. Many of these gangs are located in Los Angeles’s southern neighborhoods.

In 2021, there were 165 of these robberies; there have been 56 so far in 2022. Reportedly, the region experiencing the plurality of these robberies is what the LAPD labels its “Hollywood Division.” Of the more than 200 robberies, this division has experienced 50.

The LAPD has used surveillance technology to identify gangs and crew members engaged in the robberies “rolling three to five cars deep in some of the attacks.” Once the gang members get close enough to an identified target, they blindside their victim.

Tippet suggested that the victims often don’t even get a chance to voluntarily comply with their robbers before being violently attacked.

He said, “There’s no chance or opportunity for these victims even to comply. They’re just running up to people and attacking them, whether that’s putting a gun in their face or punching them and beating them. Pistol-whipping them as well.”

Tippet said that in 23 of the robberies, shots have been fired, and two victims have been murdered.

He said, “In my 34 years on the job, I’ve never seen anything like this."