Latest news with #ConcordPoliceDepartment
San Francisco Chronicle
24-06-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Concord police release video of officer shooting armed robbery suspect
The Concord Police Department released body-worn camera footage and videos last week showing an officer shooting an armed man who police say committed an armed robbery at a credit union in April. The department identified the officer as Sergeant Ramirez and the suspect as Cruz Vargas, 29. A second suspect in the incident was identified as Elijah Phillips, 21. The Contra Costa District Attorney's Office charged Vargas, who was injured in the shooting, with several felonies, including robbery, evading, brandishing a firearm at a peace officer, and hit-and-run, among others, police said. The DA's office charged Phillips with three counts of robbery, two counts of carjacking and possession of a machine gun, according to police. At about 9:42 a.m. on April 21, two masked men entered the Diablo Valley Credit on Detroit Avenue in Concord and robbed bank tellers at gunpoint, police said. Security footage from the bank showed the men stashing money in bags with a gun placed on the counter. Officers located their vehicle on Monument Boulevard near Buskirk Avenue and pursued it on southbound I-680, police said. Vargas and Phillips encountered heavy traffic in Sunol and their car was disabled, according to police. Vargas and Phillips carjacked the driver of another car at gunpoint and continued to flee from officers, police said. Cell phone video released by the department showed Vargas and Phillips forcing the driver of a Tesla from his vehicle at gunpoint, however, the driver was able to disable his Tesla, police said. The pair then carjacked the driver of a car who filmed the first carjacking, police said. As the second carjacking occurred, a video showed an officer identified as Corporal Parsley arriving at the scene to find the victims, who were not physically harmed. 'Hey, let me see your hands,' Parsley, who had his gun drawn, yelled at the suspects. Moments later, the suspects drove away. 'Hey, are you okay? ,' Parsley asked the victims. Officers continued to pursue the vehicle down southbound I-680 and into San Jose, police said. 'Okay he stalled out,' Ramirez said in a video released by police. 'We're flipping a U-turn. Back on Lundy (Avenue). He's got a mask on. Couldn't really see if there was anybody else in the car but it looks to be solo.' Police eventually determined both suspects were in the car. The driver ran multiple red lights and drove into oncoming traffic, according to police. Ramirez lost sight of the car before locating it again on Berryessa Road. The pair's car crashed into another car on Marbury Road and was disabled, police said, adding that the suspects fled on foot. Phillips ran north on Timothy Drive, while Vargas ran on Marbury Road with Ramirez and another Concord officer chasing behind him, police said. 'Both have firearms,' Ramirez said on video. Ramirez, driving in his car, caught up to the fleeing Vargas, yelling again 'Get on the ground. 'He's got a gun with a drum on it,' Ramirez said into a phone. After Vargas attempted to carjack the driver of another car, Ramirez fired his gun, appearing to strike Vargas with a bullet in his back. Vargas appeared to fall down and then got up and continued running a short distance before Ramirez and a second officer tracked him down, subdued and arrested him. 'Shots fired, shots fired, one suspect being taken into custody,' Ramirez said. Officers provided aid to Vargas until paramedics arrived at the scene and he was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said. His condition was not immediately known. San Jose police responded to the scene and found Elijah Phillips, who was taken into custody and found to be in possession of the money stolen from the credit union, police said. San Jose police and the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office investigated the officer-involved shooting. Concord police detectives investigated the bank robbery, carjackings and related crimes that began in the city and continued in San Jose, the department said.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hundreds expected to protest along Concord Parkway Saturday
On Saturday, we will see around 1,800 protests nationwide, 14 of which are scheduled for our area. Channel 9's Almiya White spoke with organizers in Concord who said they were taking a stand against the Trump administration. ALSO READ: Charlotte-area communities prepare for protesters on Saturday Sidewalks along Concord Parkway are expected to be filled with hundreds of demonstrators Saturday morning. 'Democracy is under threat,' said Phil Henry with invisible Concord. Henry is an organizer for the organization for the No Kings Rally and March. They are planning a protest on the same day President Donald Trump is set to hold a military parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday. The event also coincides with the president's 79th birthday. 'This is the one thing we can do to bring attention to the fact that President Trump is ignoring the Constitution and his legal authority,' said Henry. He went on to say protesters plan to take a stand in a peaceful manner. 'Our intention is to be completely nonviolent,' said Henry. The Concord Police Department says they respect everyone's right to peacefully protest and have made the same preparations as they would for any other peaceful protest. 'We'll have marshals here. There are going to be eight of us. We all identified yellow safety vests. We all have radios, and we have the process that we must follow to get hold of the police if anything happens,' the department explained. Demonstrators will march about 700 feet in Concord. And at the end of the protest, Henry said he hopes leaders will remember this country is for the people. 'We're trying to change a few hearts and minds,' Henry said. 'We want to keep our name and our cause in front of people.' The march is scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. VIDEO: Charlotte-area communities prepare for protesters on Saturday
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Exotic bird stolen from pet shop recovered in Hayward
CONCORD, Calif. - After eight long months, the second bird stolen from a Concord pet shop has been safely recovered. The Concord Police Department said Thursday that Plato, an African red-belly parrot, was recovered in Hayward and reunited with his owner. The backstory Both Plato and Tofu, an umbrella cockatoo, were stolen in September when a thief smashed a window to the pet shop and nabbed the two birds. Owner Mercedes Kemp told KTVU at the time she believed Tofu was the target. "Most people think it's someone who wants to sell him and get money for him," Kemp said back in September. She shared that he is worth a few thousand dollars. Dig deeper Tofu was recovered in Los Angeles in the following months with at least one suspect arrested in San Jose. The second suspect, whom police did not publicly name, remains at large after he fled California. Officials said Concord police detectives received a new lead which led them to Hayward, where Plato was found. Police said they are still working to track down the other suspect. The Source Concord Police Department, previous KTVU reporting
Daily Mirror
12-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Human remains found inside creepy shed are identified as convicted paedophile
An anonymous tip-off lead police to an abandoned ramshackle shed - and inside, there was a horror discovery Mystery surrounds the discovery of human remains found in an abandoned shed just across the road from a prison. Police were given an anonymous tip-off that the disused wooden shed, covered in weeds and buried in shrubbery, contained a dead body, and when they went to investigate, officers stumbled upon the skeletal remains of a man convicted of sex crimes who had not been seen in almost two years. Analysis on the bones identified them as Michael Schilz, a 59-year-old fugitive who had been wanted by New Hampshire Department of Corrections since 2023 for repeatedly violating his parole. Corrections staff had even named him Fugitive of the Week in a bid to make him step forward, after he was convicted in 2005 of aggravated felonious sexual assault on a minor. He had served time in prison but was released in December 2021, drifting around the town of Concord homeless. Schilz was on the state sex offenders register as 'unhoused', but he was never reported as missing to Concord Police. The shed, which sits across the street from the state prison, is in full sight of residential homes but had been left abandoned for years while nature reclaimed it. Lt. Thomas Yerkes of the Concord Police Department's Bureau of Investigations said the cause of death is yet to be determined. "The body of the deceased subject appeared to have been within the shed for an extended period of time," Concord Police said in a statement, adding that the remains could have been there for years. "The remains were transported to the Concord Hospital, where an autopsy was scheduled." An investigation has been launched, and police have asked the public to come forward with any information they might have about Schilz. The convicted sex offender had a warrant issued for his arrest in May 2023 after he was accused of absconding from the supervision of his parole probation officer. Six months later, the Department of Corrections posted a 'wanted' poster featuring the balding pervert, who stared blankly into the camera with a grey beard. But there was no sign of Schilz and nobody came forward with his whereabouts until the new owner of the shed came across the horrifying discovery and tipped off Concord Police on April 21. In the USA, sex offenders are forced to sign a register, which is open for anyone to look at, to keep tabs on their location. Offenders must periodically renew their registration with their local law enforcement authority, and failing to do so can carry heavy penalties, including being recalled to prison.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Double stabbing suspect sought by Concord police
(KRON) — The Concord Police Department said its officers located two men suffering from stab wounds on Tuesday afternoon. Man charged with attempted murder after San Jose officer stabbed CPD said police responded to the incident around 3 p.m. in the area of Willow Pass Road near State Route 242. The suspect took off from the scene before officers arrived. The two victims were taken to nearby hospitals where they are listed in stable condition. The motive and circumstances surrounding the stabbings are not clear. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the CPD Violence Suppression unit at (925) 603-5820 or leave a tip at (925) 603-5836. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
