A 67-year old Berkeley man who was attacked in his own home desperately called a non-emergency line for help, but police were too busy to respond while they monitored an Occupy Oakland march.
Peter Cuckor, the owner of a nearby logistics firm was allegedly murdered by Daniel Jordan Dewitt, a 23-year old Alameda man with a mental illness who trespassed onto Cuckor’s property. The two reportedly did not know one another, and Dewitt was located only a block from Cuckor’s large Tilden Park home after the slaying occurred.
According to a story filed by the San Francisco Chronicle, an Oakland police officer told a dispatcher he would respond to the call after it was received, but he was told not to go:
The victim had called police on a nonemergency line after first seeing Dewitt, according to sources familiar with the case. But police were busy monitoring an Occupy Oakland march to UC Berkeley, and officers were dispatched only to high-priority calls.
An officer who noticed the call about Dewitt on his computer told a dispatcher he would respond, but was told not to go, sources said.
Minutes later, the victim’s wife heard her husband yelling for help and called 911 after seeing the suspect dragging him into bushes and hitting him with a potted plant, sources said.
Officers responded and gave the victim first aid until paramedics arrived. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Dewitt has since been booked on suspicion of murder since his arrest.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.