Mourners remember man killed during struggle with Richmond police

More than 100 people gathered at Nicholl Park Saturday to remember a 24-year-old man shot and killed during a midnight scuffle with a Richmond police officer. Family and friends recalled Richard “Pedie” Perez III as a good-natured prankster. One family member described him as a man, “who chose to be with the homeless, the addicts…

Read More

RPD Ride-Along: Night on the Richmond beat

Officers Brandon Ruffin and Jennifer Cortez patrol the central beat, an area comprising Richmond’s inner city and high crime Iron Triangle neighborhood. Some shifts pop with energy and danger – including reports of sometimes deadly gunfire – while others are placid.

“It comes in waves,” Ruffin, 28, says as he slides the cruiser through a back alley. “The key is to keep the bad waves small and quick.”

Read More

State refinery safety bill hailed by legislators draws concern from a free speech group

A new bill aimed at increasing transparency in California oil refineries has an unexpected opponent –a free speech rights group. The First Amendment Coalition raised concerns over SB 1300, a bill they claim will actually allow oil companies to hide some information as “trade secrets.” “It sets a dangerous precedent,” said Peter Scheer, the coalition’s…

Read More

Richmond Police car wrecked while nabbing murder suspect

A white-knuckle, 12-minute high-speed pursuit of a gang member wanted on murder charges on Friday, ended with four arrests and one wrecked police cruiser. The pursuit began at around 5:10 p.m. Friday when officers spotted Miguel Ortiz, a suspected Sureño gang member, at the St. John’s Apartment complex on MacDonald Avenue.

Read More