Everybody deserves a second chance. Third chances? Sometimes.
But one San Francisco Superior Court judge apparently believes in ninth chances. He indicated that this month he’ll release from jail one of the city’s most prolific auto burglars, a man with a lengthy rap sheet involving eight car burglaries, some of which turned violent.
In April, the grand jury indicted Deshawn Patton, 21, of San Bruno on 20 counts, including 11 felonies, related to eight car break-ins over the course of a year. Patton mostly targeted rental cars, stealing items from tourists visiting from as far away as China and Germany.
Four times, police caught Patton in the act, but he fled — on foot, in his own car while ramming a police car with officers inside or ramming a vehicle he’d just burglarized. In that third instance, he drove onto a sidewalk and toward police officers before speeding away.
On April 20, 2017, court records show, he ran a stop sign to escape police and hit a Nissan with such force it wrapped around a tree and was totaled. Patton didn’t stop to help the driver, who was knocked unconscious and hospitalized for four days with head and rib injuries.
More by Heather Knight
LocalCar break-in crackdown bill made perfect sense. California…
LocalSF car break-ins: with no verbal warning, renters are unaware…
Incredibly, this spree, which took place from April 2016 to May 2017, happened while Patton was on probation for a previous car break-in, to which he pleaded guilty in October 2015.
So, apparently, the judge believes in 10th chances.
View Article