KUSI 10-News has reported that the sweep took place on Black Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. and took place as part of the Department’s “Holiday Watch” program.   According to a statement put out by the Sheriff’s Department, the warrant sweep was coupled with a command post at the Walmart shopping center.    During that time Deputies and Senior Volunteer Patrol (SVP) members conducted direct patrols on foot, bikes as well as in marked and unmarked cars.

The command post, say Sheriffs officials, was supported with a public information campaign, as well as on-site Crime Prevention Specialists who spoke to people about what they could do to avoid becoming victimized during the holiday shopping season.

Vista Station Lt. Charles Cinnamo said the purpose of the Holiday Watch program is to deter criminal activity in several ways.  The first, he said,  is through using intelligence to lead police to target specific criminals related to theft offenses. This is being accomplished through warrant sweeps and compliance checks for probationers.   The second is to conduct direct enforcement, using visible law enforcement presence to active look for criminal offenders and to do what they can to deter them. The third is via educational campaign, educating shoppers as to how they can keep their purses, vehicles and homes safe from theft.

Women are encouraged to keep their purses guarded while in stores, zipped up and close to their side.  He further stressed the importance of stowing holiday packages in the trunks of passenger vehicles in order to keep them out of sight.  Persons who place bags and boxes in the back seat, he said, put themselves at a higher risk of becoming a victim of a theft crime.

On Wednesday, around 7:40 p.m. the suspect was arrested for suspicion of attempted burglary of an apartment in North Clariemont. According to Lt. Ernie Herbert, area residents had tackled him and held him there until police arrived on the scene.

Lt. Herbert said, “The preliminary investigation has revealed the suspect was discovered in an enclosed patio area of the apartment, looking into windows. The resident of the apartment was walking home, saw the suspect on the patio and question what he was doing.”

According to Lt. Herbert, the suspect punched the resident and tried to run away but was prevented by the resident. The resident went after him, caught up to him and then other residents came to help hold the suspect.

The suspect was driven to the hospital for complaining about leg pains, but doctors said he was okay. Herbert also said the suspect complained again, once at the downtown headquarter, and eventually died while being treated by paramedics.

Lt. Herbert said, “The cause of death is unknown. San Diego Police officers did not use any force on the suspect when taking him into custody or transporting him for processing.”

Why did he go on a firebombing rampage that lasted 36-hours?  Investigators looking at possibilities and following up on leads. Once such clue has surfaced in the form of an entry Batties made on his MySpace page more than two years ago.  On it, he lists among his desires: “blowing the world up.”

Batties’ bizarre bomb spree began on Friday evening, around 11:00, when he tossed a Molotov cocktail into the San Diego Police Department’s Mid-City station’s fenced yard.  It rolled under a car but failed to ignite. Almost immediately, SD police got a call that someone had thrown another bomb at the nearby Monroe Clark Middle School. That device landed in the schoolyard but no damage was reported there, either.

On Saturday afternoon, Mission Beach firefighters were called to the scene of a Chevy Silverado pickup that was engulfed in flames. Investigators determined the blaze was set deliberately and witnesses told police they saw a white Ford SUV driving away from the area.

Later that same evening, Batties allegedly tossed another homemade bomb over the fence of the San Diego Police Department’s Eastern Division Station.  This was followed by yet another Molotov cocktail hurled at a house on Zencaro Avenue in Serra Mesa.  The homemade bomb smashed a window and then fizzled out on the lawn.

On Sunday, a Del Mar Heights officer who answered a vehicle burglary call spotted an SUV that matched the description of the vehicle seen near the previous fire bombings and the chase was on.

Authorities pursued Batties’ SUV, which he drove at more than 100 miles per hour, to the Riverside County line.  Police said he threw gas cans and other objects, including Molotov cocktails, out the window during the entire chase. The CHP joined the chase about 20 minutes later, laying a spike strip ahead of the suspect at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Temecula. Even after he sped over the spikes and blew out his tires, Batties still managed to continue on about a mile before careening into the center divide, where he was arrested.

Batties is now in a county jail, apparently unable to make bail and prosecutors said they believe he will be arraigned on Wednesday.

In my opinion, Edward Batties’ behavior suggests he should also drop the “s” from his last name and call himself “Batty”.

A 911 caller alerted police that the thief was being chased by the victim, whose clothes had been taken from a dryer in the caller’s garage. The caller described the thief and what he had on:  jeans and a sweatshirt.  Well… that certainly narrowed it down…

Still, the sharp dressed suspect was spotted and cuffed by even sharper-eyed police less than a mile from the crime scene.  More clothing was also recovered during his arrest, according to officers. The thief, however, did not drop his drawers right away.  He continued to wear the pilfered jeans during his booking process at the Vista Jail, the San Diego Sheriff’s Station in the north county.

There was no word on bail, but later, Police Lt. Cain,  said that the jail gave the suspect some orange pants and the officers picked up the jeans.  Now that the thief has to defend himself in court, one wonders what his fashion “statement” will be.

Photocredit: © Lisa F. Young – Fotolia.com

Let me back up: When people hear that I’m a bail bondsman, they always seem to think, “you must have a lot of good stories.” Truth be told, we don’t. Mostly, we bail out regular people. Day in and day out, bail is like most other jobs – except, of course, that you do it 24 x 7 x 365.

Days like yesterday, where we get an interesting case, are pretty rare. Got a call this for a bail bond out of Los Colinas Jail, San Diego’s womens jail on an out of state warrant on a woman – pretty regular so far.

Now, for the rest of the story… Husband put together a birthday cruise for wife and their two small children – nice. They get to the ship (where, of course, the couple’s passport’s are scanned upon entry). They settle in, have a nice meal while waiting for the ship to set sail. Next thing you know, there’s a knock at the door. The Border Patrol is standing there asking questions, puts the wife in handcuffs and she’s headed to jail. Bummer of a vacation buster!

Unfortunately for the family, they thought an attorney had taken care of the wife’s situation. After a call to us to arrange bail, the man and the two children returned home. We bailed the wife out and she was able to make a flight home late in the day.

Moral of the story: security checks while traveling net more than terrorists. So, if you have an outstanding warrant, be prepared to head back home. Even better, arrange with a bondsman to get it taken care of before you set sail.