Monday Morning News Roundup

By sf-admin • 10 years ago • News

Suspicious Smell Shuts Down Kaiser Hospital

A suspicious smell shut down the Kaiser Hospital in Santa Clara and made one man ill Sunday evening, according to the Fire Department.

Deputy Fire Chief Augie Wiedemann said fire and hazardous material crews responded to a report of a “chemical-type” smell in the emergency room at 7:05 p.m.

One staff member said he didn’t feel well after smelling the smell and he was treated by Kaiser staff for what Wiedemann described as minor injuries.

The Fire Department closed off a portion of the emergency room and then shut down all traffic in and out of the hospital.

Wiedemann said county ambulances were lined up outside the hospital for any new patients who needed to be transported elsewhere.

After roughly more than three hours of investigating the suspicious smell, Wiedemann said fire and hazmat crews were not able to identify it.

He said they ruled out flammable gas and neurological, biological or blistering agents as the cause, but could not say with certainty what it actually was.

“We just wanted to make sure it wasn’t there when we left,” Wiedemann said.

Wiedemann said the department turned on the air conditioning systems and started allowing people in and out around 10 p.m.

Verbal Argument Led To Shooting, Injury Of 60-Year-Old Man

Police said an argument led to a shooting that injured a 60-year-old man in San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill neighborhood Sunday afternoon, according to a police spokeswoman.

Police responded to a report of a shooting at 2:32 p.m. at Columbus Avenue and Vallejo Street, said Sgt. Monica Macdonald.

Macdonald said the suspect and victim were in an argument in the street when the suspect pulled out a handgun and shot the victim in the upper body.

The victim, a 60-year-old man, was transported to San Francisco General Hospital with injuries not considered life threatening. Police said the suspect drove away in a gray sedan and is currently outstanding.

Roof-Top Standoff Ends In Suspected Burglar’s Arrest

A standoff between police and a suspected burglar in San Jose Sunday ended with the man being arrested on suspicion of arson, assault with a deadly weapon and felony vandalism, among other charges, according to a police spokeswoman.

Sgt. Heather Randol said police responded to a report of a burglary in progress at 2 a.m. in the 900 block of S. Second Street.

Arriving officers found a window to the residence that had been broken and a man on the roof of the three-story building, Randol said.

The man appeared to be intoxicated or under the influence of a narcotic and refused commands from police to come down, Randol said. Instead, police said he started throwing objects at officers and fire personnel.

Randol said negotiations continued for several hours, and as of 5 p.m., the standoff had ended.

The man’s name was not released on Sunday. Police arrested him on suspicion of burglary, resisting arrest, arson, assault with a deadly weapon.

Legally Blind Man Struck, Killed By Freight Train Saturday Afternoon

A legally blind man was struck and killed by a freight train in Oakley on Saturday afternoon, a police sergeant said Sunday.

The accident happened around 4 p.m. on the East Cypress Road crossing just east of Main Street, Oakley police Sgt. Robert Roberts said.

The man had been walking toward Bethel Island to meet with his wife who was picking him up from the area before the collision happened, Roberts said.

Witnesses reported that the man, who didn’t need a cane, was crossing over the tracks and tripped, Roberts said.

He became disoriented after his fall and tried to avoid the oncoming train, but instead dove into the tracks, according to Roberts.

“It was sadly a tragic accident,” Roberts said.

The tracks were closed for about two hours after the collision for the police investigation, the sergeant said.

The train had departed from Richmond and was heading to Stockton, BNSF Railway spokeswoman Lena Kent said.

The crossing is equipped with gates and lights, Kent said.

The man was only identified as a 52-year-old Bethel Island resident, Roberts said.

Police Investigating Suspicious Death At Aquatic Park

Police are investigating the death of a man in his 50’s in Berkeley on Sunday afternoon as a homicide, police said.

Officers responded to a report of man lying motionless on his back in the south side of Aquatic Park at 4:12 p.m.

Police said officers found him deceased at the scene.

Homicide detectives are investigating the incident as a suspicious death, police said.

2 Lanes Blocked On Hwy 101 As Caltrans Cleans Up Mud, Rocks

Two lanes were closed on southbound U.S. Highway 101 in Sausalito Sunday evening as Caltrans cleaned up mud, dirt and rocks that were blocking a lane on the freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP Officer William Ogilvie said officers responded to the report of mud in the roadway at 6:03 p.m. on HWY 101 just south of Spencer Avenue in Sausalito.

Caltrans arrived on scene to clean up the debris just after 8 p.m., and Ogilvie said officers set up road signs to alert drivers of the hazard.

Ferguson Protests End Without Incident

Roughly 20 to 30 people demonstrated in San Jose Sunday afternoon in response to a grand jury’s decision to not indict a Ferguson, Mo., police officer in the death of an unarmed 18-year-old in August.

San Jose police Sgt. Heather Randol said the demonstration, which started around 3 p.m., ended without incident before 5 p.m.

Reports on Twitter showed people marching through the streets and blocking traffic with signs that read, “Black lives matter,” and “racism is not an option it’s an offense.”

Multiple people were arrested in San Francisco on Friday night in a similar protest that turned violent, and police have arrested at least 184 people in Oakland over the past week due to demonstrations there.

On Saturday, Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson, who was not indicted on Monday in the shooting of Michael Brown on Aug. 9, resigned his post.

Man Arrested After Allegedly Hitting Other Man With Car On Purpose

An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after hitting another man with his car on purpose at a mobile home park in Petaluma early Sunday morning, a police sergeant said.

Officers received multiple reports of a person intentionally struck by a car at Littlewoods Mobile Villa at 1821 Lakeville Highway around 1:40 a.m., Petaluma police Sgt. Andrew Urton said.

Arriving officers found a man injured and lying on the roadway surrounded by multiple people rendering medical aid, Urton said.

The man told police that a car driven by a man, later identified as Moses Hunt, had been speeding and breaking traction with his tires around the mobile home park, Urton said.

Hunt allegedly tried to hit another pedestrian with the car and the man ran out, gesturing with his hand for Hunt to stop the vehicle, according to Urton.

The victim was standing in the roadway when Moses continued driving and hit him, the sergeant said.

The victim suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to Urton.

Witnesses reported seeing Hunt flee in the car at high speeds, Urton said.

Officers found Hunt and his damaged car at his Petaluma home and was positively identified by witnesses as the driver, Urton said.

Hunt was arrested and booked into Sonoma County Jail.

Incoming Flights To Sfo Delayed 30-120 Minutes

The San Francisco International Airport experienced 30-minute to 120-minute delays on Sunday as travelers were heading home from the Thanksgiving holiday, an airport spokesman said.

Inclement weather conditions and wind slowed incoming air traffic and the Federal Aviation Administration instituted a flight delay program, which mostly impacts aircrafts as they are entering the airport, said spokesman Charles Navigante.

“Of course if it’s affecting inbound traffic, it will affect outbound departures as well,” Navigante said.