EPD officers Josh Siipola and Stephen Linfoot testified about two different incidents involving"Creeper " aka Anthony Manuel Christopher Burgess this morning. Judge Christopher Wilson presided over the hearing.
The day of the alleged incident, Officer Siipola testified that "I saw Anthony Burgess in the carport of an alley to the rear of 1440 California Street." Officer Siipola said that he is familiar with Burgess and often does a drive by of that area which is known for a high crime rate and activity. From his car window, Officer Siipola said, 'What's up Creeper? Are you going to run?"
Burgess said to Officer Siipola,"What am I doing wrong?"
Officer Siipola decribed "Creeper" as Burgess' "gang moniker."
Officer Siipola said that as soon as Burgess saw him, his tried to "conceal himself" from the officer's view, crouching where his hands were out of Officer Siipola's sight and that his body language made Officer Siipola suspicious. He was reaching down, testified Officer Siipola. The officer then heard "a thud, like a heavy object falling on the ground." Officer Siipla said that Burgess "took off running" and that he did not follow him. He did a broadcast that he was going to inspect the area. What he found was "a black semi-automatic handgun in a holster." Officer Siipola took a photograph and then requested back-up. He then followed protocol and "rendered the weapon safe." This meant taking out "7 Winchester full metal jacket rounds from the magazine chamber." Burgess was arrested later that evening.
Officer Linfoot testified about another incident where he was on patrol and was called to address a situation at 935 G street because there had been a report of "suspicious people loitering around the address". He was by the Bayshore Mall area so another officer responded and a suspect matching Burgess' description was "fleeing from the officer." Officer Linfoot arrived at the location and saw Officer Janson and the suspect coming towards him. He recognized Burgess. The pursuit earlier had resulted in Burgess' bicycle "colliding" with Officer Janson's car. The bicycle was on the ground, a tan bag "tangled in the handles" and a black backpack on the ground. The officers manage to subdue and arrest Burgess. When Officer Linfoot picked up the tan bag, he could see "an outline of a revolver." Officer Linfoot described the gun loaded with "hollow point Magnum".
The tan bag had the Aztec numeral 13 written on it with a black marker. Officer Linfoot said that he had training with gang symbols and other gan related information as a part of his law enforcement career from Los Angeles. He recognized this symbol as being associated with a specific gang, the Surenos.
In the black back pack, Officer Linfoot found a flashlight with a stun gun built into it, gloves, plastic bags. Other evidence collected from Burgess were two cell-phones, a wig, a hat and dark sunglasses, and a handmade drawing in Burgess' wallet. The drawing had eastside local gang and Aztec 13 written on it. Burgess had a tatoo near one of his eyebrows with "Loco" written on it which Linfoot said is known to be part of the name, associated with the Eureka gang, eastside locals.
Ms. Holmquist had been questioning Officer Linfoot on his expertise with gangs. She asked him, "How do you know East side locals are not a club like the Boy Scouts?"
Officer Linfoot responded, "because the Boy Scouts don't vandalize property in the name of their club, they don't tag graffiti. "
Officer Linfoot said that Burgess told him that he was running from Officer Janson because "he had heard a stupid rumor on the street that Eureka Police Department was looking for him and he was scared."
Officer Linfoot said that Burgess was surprised that the gun he had was loaded. He also told Officer Linfoot that earlier that day he had smoked marijuana and ecstasy laced with meth. Burgess also told the officer that he had got the handgun from a man named "Pops" at the apartments at 9th and H and that he was taking the gun to Angelo's Pizza's to deliver it to "Matt."
Before the case was called for hearing, DDA Rees told the People had made an offer of 8 years, the defense of 4 years and when Officer Linfoot recited the charges against Burgess, Ms. Holmquist in her trademark bravado fashion quipped instead of taking the People's offer, she would rather take the "case to trial!"
Previous posts:
http://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2015/02/creeper-burgess-evades-gang-charge-but.html
http://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2015/01/100000-bail-set-for-creeper-aka-anthony.html?m=1
"Officer Linfoot described the gun as a "hollow point Magnum" and said it was loaded."
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't make sense, if that's what he actually said. Hollow point magnum would describe a type of ammunition, not a gun.
Thanks for the clarification Fred. I will fix the post. It was very hard to hear him and since I was the only person in the audience, I may have missed part of his response.
Delete