Two men were arrested early Monday morning in El Cerrito when their unrelated crimes coincided in a bizarre set of circumstances allowing a third suspect to escape.

It all started with a police stake out at the City Corporation Yard on Schmidt Lane, where two suspects were caught allegedly attempting to steal copper and other reusable metals, authorities said.

The undercover operation was informed by prior reports of copper theft in the city, according to Commander Michael Regan. Both the Corporation Yard and Stege Sanitary were similarly burglarized on Sept. 15, 2008. Their losses were estimated at $2,190 and $1,800 respectively.

“It’s a crime that we’ve seen increase over the last year as the value of these metals goes up,” Regan said.

One suspect, Alexander Itzigheine of San Pablo, Calif., was arrested when police confronted the two men inside the yard at approximately 2:30 a.m. The second suspect fled into the woods behind the yard with officers in close pursuit.

A California Highway Patrol helicopter with infrared equipment was called in to assist with the search.  The helicopter circled the crime scene looking for the suspect, but was forced to abandon the search when a green laser beam struck the craft and shone into the pilot’s eyes, temporarily disorienting him, officials said.

Authorities both in the air and on the ground suspended their search for the fleeing suspect to help locate the source of the laser. The helicopter crew was soon able to direct officers on the ground to a home near the corner of Moeser Lane and Seaview Drive after they spotted a man standing in a driveway.

The resident, 50-year-old Brian Butler of El Cerrito, was arrested when he was found in possession of a green laser pointer.

Commander Regan said police had no reason to believe that Butler was attempting to assist the burglary suspects when he shined the laser at the CHP helicopter. Regan called it “unfortunate” that Butler’s dangerous and illegal alleged actions had compromised the search for the second burglary suspect.

Both Itzigheine and Butler are being held at the county jail in Martinez, Calif. Butler is held on suspicion of discharging a laser at an aircraft – a potential felony – with bail set at $20,000. Itzigheine is held on suspicion of petty theft, with bail set at $15,000.

The second burglary suspect remains at large.

BY N’JERI EATON //

Three Richmond teenagers were arrested in El Cerrito in connection with a series of strong-arm robberies on a path near the BART tracks last week. The teens – two 16-year-old boys and a 13-year-old girl – are suspected of six robberies in a three day period.

The paths behind the El Cerrito Plaza and Del Norte BART stations have been a prime location for robberies. According to the El Cerrito Police log, 17 robberies have been reported since March along these paths.

BART employee Victor Martinez has been working as a station agent at El Cerrito Plaza for the last five years. He said muggings are “rare” but when they do happen, they are always a shock.

At the Del Norte BART station just a few blocks away, robberies are a more common crime. An unidentified station BART employee at the station said robberies happen “all day, everyday.” Despite the presence of a BART police station at Del Norte, thefts seem to plague the area.

Martinez believes thefts, often perpetrated by teenagers, signify a larger problem.

“It’s a tragedy that you’re seeing teenagers do it. To me it’s a social tragedy,” he said. “It’s telling me that something is going on here where our youth are not being mentored or guided.”

The Del Norte station agent said that iPods and high-end cell phones are the most frequently stolen item because they have a quick resell value. BART has encouraged commuters not to wear the white earbud headphones that come with iPods.

Laptops are another hot commodity for thieves. Martinez says that he warns commuters to not buy easily recognizable laptop bags.

“I tell them, they’re better off getting a backpack with a pillow in it,” Martinez said.

For more safety tips, watch this slideshow.

Both the station agents and the official BART Safety Guide say that staying alert and aware of their surroundings is the best way for passengers to stay safe. The Del Norte station agent suggests that passengers pass through the station as quickly as possible.

“If you want to be unsafe then hang out at the station,” he said. “Its not a matter of if but when.”

For more information, click on the following links

Video Guide to Passenger Safety
http://www.bart.gov/news/barttv/?&cat=34&id=295

Contact information by zone for BART Police
http://bart.gov/about/police/contact.aspxBART Safety Tips

BY MATT DURNING //

EL CERRITO – Weekend power outages caused a series of traffic light failures that lead El Cerrito Police to issue a string of traffic tickets in a move that angered some residents.

“It’s obvious that they’re entrapping people into a ticket instead of taking care of the public safety,” said Barbara McGraw of Moraga, Calif., after she was stopped and given a ticket.

McGraw says she was on her way to church at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday morning when she approached the intersection of Moeser Lane and Richmond Avenue in El Cerrito, one of several city intersections that lost power throughout the weekend.

According to McGraw, she noticed the traffic light was out and slowed down to make sure the intersection was clear before continuing on. McGraw even acknowledges seeing the police cars sitting near the intersection but says she didn’t think she was doing anything wrong.

Before she knew it, she recalled, there were flashing lights in her rear view mirror and an officer was writing her a citation.

McGraw doesn’t dispute the fact the law requires her to stop before continuing through an intersection with inoperative traffic signals.

“My issue is, if it’s so dangerous that they need to stop to give everyone a ticket, why aren’t they out there directing traffic?” she said.

City police, who issued more than 60 such tickets throughout the weekend and 17 at the Moeser and Richmond intersection alone during the 90-minute power outage there on Sunday morning, say they were simply doing their job.

“We’re just enforcing the vehicle code,” said Sergeant Douglas Horgan, the on-duty watch commander at the scene. “Not everyone violates it. A lot of people do what they’re supposed to do. Most people are stopping.”

But for the 17 drivers who didn’t stop, including McGraw, there was frustration at what they perceived to be police taking advantage of a difficult situation, even neglecting public safety.

“I think it’s a deliberate traffic stop,” said Jimmy Zhou, an El Cerrito resident who received a ticket around the same time as McGraw. “They should be directing traffic if the light is out. It’s too dangerous…I didn’t even see the light,” Zhou said.

“It’s up to each agency if that’s how they want to use their resources,” said Horgan in response to complaints from drivers that the police weren’t directing traffic. “There’s no need for it if people follow the law.”

At one point, four police vehicles had violators stopped simultaneously in a row along the two-block span of Moeser Lane just east of the intersection.

“Every police officer working in the city right now is here,” Horgan said. He explained the concentration of officers was only possible due to a lack of other active service calls demanding their attention. If a call did come in, he said they would respond accordingly.

One El Cerrito woman, who lives within view of the intersection, wondered why the police didn’t at least erect temporary stop signs alerting approaching drivers.

Sergeant Horgan explained emergency stop signs can lead to confusion when the traffic lights come back on so they don’t use them.

The power outages began just after midnight on Friday and continued through 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon affecting several traffic signals throughout the city including the intersection of San Pablo and Stockton avenues.

Sometime after 9 a.m. Sunday morning, the traffic light at the intersection of Moeser and Richmond lost power for the second time.

Tamar Farkissian, a spokesperson for Pacific Gas & Electric, explained the cause of the power outages.

“Over the summer months, dirt and pollution accumulate on insulators,” she said. “The first big rain of the season turns this into mud, an electrical conductor, which leads to something called electrical arching, or flashovers,” which in turn causes power failures.

According to police, the signal outages led to one automobile accident, a minor fender-bender that occurred at the Moeser and Richmond intersection just before power returned on Saturday afternoon.

Sergeant Horgan said the two-car collision happened because both drivers failed to heed the law and stop before entering the intersection. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Both McGraw and Zhou both said they intend to fight their citations in court. They exchanged contact details and agreed to act as witnesses for each other.