Tales of Strange But True Crime

Customers at a Lafayette Starbucks had a front row seat to one of life's little dramas Wednesday. Their morning routine was broken by a commotion and sounds of yelling outside the establishment -- followed by the sight of a rather large, out of breath man in a distinctive black trench coat and "rainbow colored" stocking cap scurrying inside and locking himself in the bathroom.

Patrons tell Patch there were a few "exchanged looks" and "raised eyebrows" but the coffee tippling resumed until the sound of footfalls heralded the arrival of Lafayette's gendarmerie, hot on the trail of a suspected car burglar.

The description of the burglar? Yep, tall, black trench coat, rainbow beanie. After a brief standoff the police extricated the person from the bathroom and led him away, with Pete McNamara of Walnut Creek watching the scene unfold and commenting that the suspected car booster didn't exactly make himself hard to find.

Can You Hear Me Now, @#*&$#%$?

Over in Moraga, neighbors called for backup when a man on a cell phone stepped out onto the balcony of his apartment to make a call that quickly became a tirade, the caller so frustrated by whatever was happening on the call that he began to throw things off the balcony while neighbors took cover below. Police attempted to talk with the caller but were told that he'd left to cool off.

Saw It, Just Had To Have It

Also in Moraga, a police officer was on routine patrol on St. Mary's Road shortly before midnight early this month when the officer spotted a man staggering east in the westbound lane -- carrying a political sign for a local supervisorial candidate. The officer made contact and determined that the pedestrian was well in his cups and unable to care for himself so he was given a ride to county jail -- and his political preference was noted, though no reason was given for why he was so attached to that particular sign.

Wow, Man, I Feel Like I Know You

You can tell a lot about the people who rip you off these days, as one Moragan found out recently. The gentleman had his wallet lifted on May 5 and the next day was notified of charges at a Cloud 9 Smoke Shop, San Francisco Sports Shop, California Smiles, and a Curly's Coffee Shop. Look for a thief with a buzz on, a Giant's cap, a Bob Marley "Legalize It" t-shirt and a major case of the munchies.