This Week from the Los Altos Police Log: Feb. 12-16

Here’s a tip—when you’re carrying your cell phone in your pocket, make sure the keypad is locked! Los Altos police officers were kept busy this week responding to several accidental “pocket dials” to 9-1-1.

Other than that, it was a mostly quiet Valentine’s week around Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, with only minor incidents to report.

The weekend started out Friday with a case of fraud. A victim on Second Street reported receiving a phone call from her grandson in Malaysia, who claimed he was in jail and needed money to get out. The grandson was found to be in Arizona, after the grandparent had already wired approximately $6,000 to what turned out to be an unknown party. 

Officers were busy responding to several 9-1-1 hang-ups this week. The first came just after midnight Sunday morning from an unactivated cell phone. Officers attempted to call the number back but were unable to. The second hang-up call came just before 1 p.m. that day. Officers called the number back and determined the call was an accidental “pocket dial.” Another accidental call came, this time from a local business, around 9:20 a.m. Monday. Two more, around 10:45 and 11:45 a.m. Monday, were both accidental calls from residents. Several other similar, accidental calls and hang-ups were reported throughout the week.

The rain on Monday certainly caused some hazard around the city. Officers received a report around 1:15 p.m. of a tree down in the roadway near Foothill Expressway and Arboretum Drive. The Public Works Department was called and came to remove the tree. Around 5:15 p.m. that evening, a traffic signal at Los Altos Avenue and El Camino Real went out and officers manned the intersection while waiting for a repair.

A panhandler at the intersection of San Antonio Road and El Camino Real was obviously not feeling the Valentine’s Day love on Tuesday, and a miffed citizen called to report him or her shortly before noon for disturbing the peace and being too aggressive with passers-by. Officers responded and diffused the situation.

The idea of others violating the city code by using gas-powered leaf blowers apparently still has some Los Altans on edge, as police received another report around 11 a.m. Tuesday of a person on Galli Drive using one. However, when officers responded, they found the blower to be electric, not gas-powered. Another report was received Wednesday morning just after 10 a.m. This time, the report was correct, and officers reprimanded a subject near Hillview and Osage avenues for use of a gas-powered blower.

On Wednesday evening around 7:17 p.m., officers received a report of a suspicious vehicle in the 200 block of Waverly Lane. Officers responded and located the vehicle. After speaking with the party in the vehicle, the party voluntarily moved on, so no crime was recorded.

On Thursday morning, officers responded to 199 1st St. for a report of a parking violation—a vehicle was parked on the sidewalk. Officers made contact with the driver of the vehicle, and it was moved.

Later, around noon, not far away,near the corner of First and Main, officers received a report of a hit-and-run accident. Fortunately, there were no injuries, and a report was taken. Another hit-and-run report came in around 4 p.m. at San Antonio Road and Cuesta Avenue. No injuries were reported for this accident either, and officers took a report.

Around 2 p.m. Thursday in the 4000 block of El Camino Real, officers received a report of a person possibly drunk in public. However, officers were able to locate the person and it was determined he was, in fact, not drunk at all.

Around 3 p.m. Thursday, officers were warned of a downed wire in the street in the 300 block of Hawthorne Avenue. Officers responded and secured the scene, and the cable company was called to come and repair it.

Officers made an arrest for driving with a suspended license just after 7 p.m. on Thursday, near the intersection of El Camino Real and Showers Drive.

Finally, just before midnight on Thursday evening, officers received a report of reckless drivers on Hillview Avenue. Officers located the drivers and reprimanded them. The drivers were then released.