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Brentwood Press - AntiochPress_05.16.08 - Index

YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 8, No. 20 Antioch, California www.thepress.net May 16, 2008
Officers
honored
for valor
Trio hailed for
stopping gunman
by Dave Roberts
Staff Writer
The Antioch Police Department has
awarded the Bronze Medal of Valor to
three offi cers who confronted and stopped
a man wielding a rifl e that he had stolen
out of a squad car.
Offi cers Devany Dee and Eric Johnson,
along with K-9 Offi cer James Perkinson,
were honored last week at the department’s
second annual award ceremony.
The department also honored a half-dozen
other sworn and civilian employees for
their actions on behalf of the community.
(See related stories on Page 21A and in
next week’s Press.)
The stolen rifl e incident began at 3:21
p.m. on April 9, 2007, when Hugo Peña
Alcala, 21, of Concord used a steel bar to
break the window of a locked police car
parked in the front lot of the Antioch Police
Photo by Dave Roberts
From left, offi cers James Perkinson, Eric Johnson and Devany Dee were awarded
the Bronze Medal of Valor for apprehending a man wielding a rifl e he had just
stolen from a police car.
Department, according to a police report.
He then used the bar to pry out the AR-
15 assault rifl e and ammunition from the
vehicle’s rifl e-locking mechanism.
Alcala then ran two blocks southbound
on L Street into a vacant dirt lot in
a residential area, where he was confronted
by offi cers Dee and Johnson.
“You challenged the suspect and ordered
him to drop the weapon,” said Po-
see Officers page 12A
Section 8 tenants sue city
by Dave Roberts
Staff Writer
Five African-American
women receiving Section 8
housing subsidies have sued
the city of Antioch, its police
department and, in the case of
one of the women, the Housing
Authority of the County
of Contra Costa for harassing
them on the basis of race.
In a suit fi led May 2 in
District Court by Bay Area
Legal Aid that’s planned to be
servedto the plaintiffs in the
near future, Karen Coleman,
Alyce Payne, Mary Scott and
Santeya Williams accuse the
police of conducting “a concerted
and unlawful campaign”
to get them kicked off the Section
8 program and have their
landlords evict them.
In a separate suit, which
has been served to the city and
the housing authority, Onita
Tuggles makes a similar claim.
Tuggles is the mother of one of
the Deer Valley students, Michael
H., who is suing the city,
the police department and the
school district for suspending
him in connection with a disturbance
at Gas City (see the
article on page 4A).
The lawsuits contend that
the police Community Action
Team (known as the CAT
Team), when it receives a complaint
about a residential disturbance
or nuisance, makes
a special effort to determine
if the occupants are receiving
a Section 8 subsidy and, if so,
notifi es the landlord and hous-
see Tenants page 21A
Photo by Dave Roberts
The Sept. 25 Antioch City Council meeting was packed with
people, some of whom complained about harassment from
the police Community Action Team.
National Award Winning Newspapers
THIS WEEK
Udderly
enterprising
The challenge of raising livestock
and learning business
skills is Fair game for a host of
young East County entrepreneurs.
Page 5A
Getting their
day in court
A school district, a police department
and a city will be required
to explain their actions
regarding a dustup at Antioch’s
Gas City last year.
Page 4A
Track clash
sets high bar
Deer Valley athletes took home
some hardware at a recent
league championship meet.
Page 1B
INSIDE
Business ...........................6B
Calendar ........................23B
Classifieds ......................15B
Community .................... 3A
Education ....................... 8A
Entertainment ..............12B
Health & Beauty ...........10B
Milestones .......................9B
Opinion ........................16A
Public Notices ................18B