From the Richmond Police Department:

4th Precinct
ROBBERY
1/7/11 10:00 p.m.
200 block of South Laurel Street
A male reported he was robbed by three unknown males.

From unofficial reports from neighbors:

Yesterday I drove , a homeless man to the VA hospital. He had been severely beaten with purple bruises on the whole side of his face. He said it was a group of young kids on bicycles and the engaged him in conversation and one of them blind sided him and he fell to the ground. He was kicked a few times and then the rode off toward Broad Street. He did not recognize them from the neighborhood. I am concerned about this sort of thing.

Friday night about 10 pm, Richmond Police were @ St. Andrews, 800 block of Idlewood, between Cherry and Laurel, where 5-6 street men and women were camped out in the small alcove on Idlewood. One (man) was lying outside on the sidewalk covered in snow – an ambulance took him away on a stretcher. The rest were evicted and moved on with large amounts of baggage, sleeping bags – etc. … Some of these folks (men and women) are our own local squatters and panhandlers. Yesterday, what looked like the same man and others were discovered in the alcove and evicted again – the man could hardly stand up – let alone walk, he tried hanging on to the iron fence, but he soon fell in the street – the Fire Department showed up and once again he was taken away by ambulance on the stretcher.

Note: 100 block of N. Pine is not really in Oregon Hill, but north of Monroe Park.

Police report:

Fourth Precinct investigators need the public’s help to identify four people of interest in connection with a violent robbery of a 60-year-old woman Wednesday afternoon.

The three males and one female being sought are pictured in the below photos.

The victim was walking in the 100 block of Pine Street at approximately 3:30 p.m. Wednesday when two males pushed her to the ground and yanked off her purse.

The two males were last seen getting into a dark SUV, possibly a black Chevy Tahoe or black Yukon, and driving away.

The first suspect is described as a Latino male in his 20’s, weighing about 180 pounds, approximately 6’0” with short hair and a thin build. He was last seen wearing a navy blue shirt, tan shorts and tennis shoes.

The second suspect is described as a Latino male, age 20 to 21, approximately 5’9,” and weighing between 165 and 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black t-shirt.

If anyone has any information to identify these individuals, please call Crime Stoppers at 780-1000 or Detective A. Sleem at 646-2925.

From neighbors’ reports:

Around 10pm Friday night a young woman was stabbed in the chest during an altercation near the 300 block of S. Laurel St.- perhaps in or near Pleasants Park.

The ambulance arrived and the police shut down the street.

I have not seen anything in the media or from the police as of yet.

The above view is looking east towards downtown. It looks like the fire might have started at a homeless encampment that’s in the trees just a few feet to the east of the site, but that’s just conjecture.

I also have heard unofficial accounts that, around the same time last night, there was some wine stolen from the 7-11 on Belvidere and a subsequent car hit and run, plus a suicide threat to jump off the Lee Bridge- but again, no official word as of yet.