A rash of robberies across Natomas has residents and police on alert, while many in the area are attacking city officials for not devoting enough resources to help keep their neighborhoods safe.
Since June 1, robbers have pulled off 15 home invasions and 14 street holdups in Natomas, the large section of suburban-style neighborhoods in Sacramento's northwest corner. Handguns were used in each of the home invasions and nearly all the street robberies, police said.
"What's obvious is that people are scared," said Angelique Ashby, a North Natomas resident and the president of the Creekside Neighborhood Association. "What isn't so obvious is that people are mad."
More than 400 people packed the theater at Inderkum High School on Monday night for a contentious meeting with Mayor Heather Fargo, Councilman Ray Tretheway and Police Chief Rick Braziel.
Police urged residents to watch out for their neighbors and call authorities if they see anything suspicious.
"The message is be active, be active, be active," Braziel said.
But several residents demanded to know what police and city officials are doing to curb the crime wave.
Cristina Correa, a Natomas resident for three years, asked why city officials had focused more attention on a new Kings arena than on crime-fighting.
Fargo replied that the arena "is not on anyone's priority list" and noted that she backs an initiative that could appear on the November ballot to boost sales taxes one-quarter cent to pay for youth programs and anti-gang efforts.
"That is something that gives us some hope," she said.
Fargo also will be on the November ballot seeking re-election. Her opponent – former NBA star and developer Kevin Johnson – attended the meeting Monday night but did not speak.
Eight suspects have been arrested in the robberies – ranging in age from 15 to 19 – but police believe several more robbers are still on the loose, said police Capt. Dan Hahn.
"We will have more arrests, I promise you that," Hahn told the crowd.
All but four of the home invasions took place during daylight hours. Two people have been hurt in the attacks; one injured a wrist in self-defense and the other was struck over the head with a pistol.
The robbers have gotten away with purses, cell phones, laptop computers and cash.
Investigators believe some of the robberies could be related, Hahn said.
On June 4, a woman was pulling into her garage on Brynmar Court in the North Natomas neighborhood of Natomas Park when an armed man confronted her. The man grabbed her purse and tried to force the woman back into her car, Hahn said.
The woman, who was with her three children, did not get in her car and the robber got away.
Three days later, in a similar attack, a woman parked her car on Turnstone Drive in South Natomas and was approached by a man who matched the description of the suspect in the Brynmar Court attack.
The man pointed his gun at the woman and her 3-month-old grandchild and tried to force the woman back into her car, Hahn said. She refused and the mugger got away with her purse.
In five home invasions, attackers got into the house through an open garage door, Hahn said. In each of those robberies the victim was a woman who was alone or with her children.
In six other home robberies, the victim was attacked after responding to a knock at the front door. All of those attacks occurred in apartment complexes.
Police suspect the robbers often cased their targets by "cruising through the neighborhoods waiting to see someone or an open garage door," Hahn said.
In response to the spike in robberies, the Police Department has increased its presence in Natomas. That response has included sending SWAT teams into the neighborhoods and making the crime wave the "No. 1 priority of our detectives," Hahn said.
Still, Hahn said, reversing the crime trend will take more than adding police officers to the area.
"If you think the mind-set of a 15-year-old or 18-year-old willing to go into your home and stick a gun in your face is going to change just because he sees a cop driving down the street, you're mistaken," Hahn said. "Does Natomas need more cops? Sure. And could they help us catch these guys? Maybe."
The issue, both Hahn and Ashby said, is keeping teens away from crime. And the city has failed on that front, Ashby said.
From a lack of an organized community center and a police substation to poorly designed parks, streets and schools, city officials have "not represented our interests enough, and we haven't gotten the resources we need," she said.
"When you talk about the money raised by (development in) Natomas, that's where it gets frustrating," said Ashby, who is also co-founder of the North Natomas Crime and Safety Committee. "Not enough money generated by this community came back to this community."
Call The Bee's Ryan Lillis, (916) 321-1085.
