Caen a pigeon for the birds in Union Square
During nearly 60 years as a San Francisco Chronicle columnist, Herb Caen didn’t lose many battles.
But while restaurateurs, politicians and even Hollywood celebrities were deferential to his sharp wit and barrels of ink, the writer’s war with the Union Square pigeons ended in defeat.
Final score: San Francisco pigeons 10,000 or thereabouts, Herb Caen 0.
One of the most famous Caen photos has the writer sitting on a park bench with Alfred Hitchcock in 1963, looking alternately amused and terrified as pigeons perch on his shoulders and head — part of a promotion for the movie “The Birds.”
But Caen’s disdain for pigeons began as early as the late 1940s, when he started complaining about increased numbers of birds in Union Square
San Francisco police busted 11 auto break-in suspects over a five-day period this month, including three smash-andgrab crews, authorities said Friday.
The crews operate in designated roles, often with lookouts and getaway drivers, in addition to team members who pluck stolen property through broken windows, said Officer Joseph Tomlinson, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department.
“They’re able to hit cars faster, and get to more cars at one time,” Tomlinson said. “Working in a crew like that, it takes 30 seconds to get your property.”
While the process for crews may be streamlined — to the point that San Francisco had a record 31,322 auto break-ins last year — the districts targeted in early April were diverse. Police reported arrests after three separate incidents in the North Beach, Design District and South of Market neighborhoods.
At 1:45 a.m. on April 2, police responded to Grant and Filbert streets after a report of people fleeing the area after breaking into multiple vehicles. On the way to the call, officers were notified of a victim reporting the suspects’ vehicle at Montgomery and Francisco streets. Officers changed course and came upon three men and one juvenile breaking into a vehicle on the 1800 block of Kearny Street, police said.
The suspects — Tyler McKinney, 26, of Berkeley; Christopher Wise, 28, of Sacramento; and Robert Warren, 23, of San Francisco — were booked into jail on two counts of burglary and one count of conspiracy. A 16-yearold boy was also booked into jail.
Two days later, at 8:24 p.m., plainclothes officers from the Southern District were conducting surveillance on the 1700 block of Alameda Street when they reportedly witnessed a smash-andgrab.
Troy Savoy, 20, of San Francisco allegedly got out of a parked car and began to case a vehicle. He then got back into his car and drove off, police said, before returning moments later to break the window of the car he had earlier targeted to steal a backpack.
Officers moved in to arrest him, but Savoy attempted to flee and crashed his vehicle into another parked car, police said. He and a passenger, 18-year-old Earl Jihad of Pleasant Hill, allegedly attempted to run from the scene but were arrested a short distance from the collision.
Savoy and Jihad were booked into jail on counts of second-degree burglary, possession of stolen property, conspiracy and resisting arrest.
The next night at 9:32 p.m., officers reportedly came upon Manuel Mills, 30, of Richmond casing vehicles near 10th and Harrison streets. Mills and another man, 41year-old Taj Williams of Alameda then drove to Division Street just west of King Street, where Williams allegedly got out of the vehicle and broke the rear window of a parked car.
The men tried to drive off when officers moved in for the arrest, police said, but Mills crashed his vehicle into a car that was stopped in traffic. Both men were arrested along with a third suspect, 25-year-old Savannah Jacobs of Richmond.
The three were booked into jail on suspicion of burglary, conspiracy and possession of burglary tools, and Mills and Williams were also booked on possession of stolen property.
San Francisco police reported two additional arrests on April 3 and 7 related to separate auto break-ins in the city.