By Lt. Bruce Jower, Walnut Creek Police Department

On November 27th, 2023, at approximately 3:09 PM, Walnut Creek Police patrol officers were dispatched to a suspicious death in the 1900 block of Camino Verde Circle. Walnut Creek Police Detectives responded to the scene and investigated the case as a suspicious death. Detectives have officially classified this case as a homicide and are investigating it as such.

At this time, we are not revealing the identity of the victim. However, the next of kin has been notified. WCPD Detectives are following up on all leads at this time.

If anyone has any information about this case, please contact Detective Nick Olson at olson@walnutcreekpd.com or call the anonymous tip line (925) 943-5865. Case #: 23-37597

By Pleasant Hill Police Department

On Friday, December 8, 2023 at approximately 11:45 PM, the Central County SWAT team, and crisis negotiators responded to the 200 block of Cleopatra Drive. The husband from the previous incident, Chunliam Nai Saechao (40 years old), was determined to be a danger to the public and a felony warrant was obtained for his arrest. During the day, information was gathered from social media and other investigative means, which led to this decision.

A shelter in place was issued for the Sherman Oaks neighborhood.

Saturday morning at around 7:52 am Chunliam Saechao exited his residence and surrendered to the FBI SWAT Team without further incident. The FBI SWAT team was summoned early this morning to relieve Central County SWAT who intended to return to the scene at 2:00 pm, if necessary. Mr. Saechao will be booked on several felonies to include assault with a deadly weapon and attempted homicide on a police officer.

According to a CBS News Bay Area report, Saechao communicated with police through social media. “During the standoff, he posted videos to social media wearing a bulletproof vest and holding an assault rifle. One message posted online said, ‘Anyone try to break into my home is going to be killed and I will have no remorse because I did a good thing to rid evil.’”

We acknowledge this prolonged and serious event caused great disruption and stoked fear within the Sherman Acres neighborhood and the surrounding community. De-escalation tactics, including disengagement, are routinely utilized in hope for peaceful resolutions, such as this one. Even after disengaging with the suspect during the early morning hours of December 8, the community’s safety and security was consistently monitored and constantly assessed. Police officers remained ready in the area, and we continued to monitor Mr. Saechao’s social media activity. We are relieved that the tactics employed led to a peaceful resolution, avoiding any bodily injuries or fatalities to members of law enforcement or the surrounding community.

According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, Saechao is being held in the Martinez Detention Facility on no bail.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Police activity in the Sherman Acres neighborhood of Pleasant Hill, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. Photo: PHPD

Posts on social media; stand off ends Thursday, begins again Friday evening, police close nearby roads

By Lt.  Jason Kleven, Pleasant Hill Department

On December 7, 2023 at around 7:05 PM, Pleasant Hill Police Officers responded to a residence on Cleopatra Drive for a welfare check on an adult female who reported to family that she had been locked out of their residence by her husband. Upon arrival, Officers located the female who had minor injuries to her lower body. Officers determined the female had tried to gain entry to the residence, through the barricaded side garage door, and her husband fired a single shot from a shotgun towards the door, striking his wife. The female was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries where she was treated and later released. The husband remained inside the residence, alone.

Officers secured the scene and called crisis negotiators and the Central County SWAT team to the scene. Over several hours, numerous attempts to contact the husband, via telephone and loudspeaker, were made, but he was unresponsive to these attempts. The husband continuously posted to social media during the incident. The posts suggested he may be suicidal.

Crisis negotiators tried for several hours to communicate with the husband with no success. The circumstances surrounding this event indicated the husband was not an immediate threat to the general public. The SWAT team disengaged from the scene and the husband was left alone inside the residence.

According to a tweet by Henry Lee of KTVU, the man is a retired police officer.

On Friday, Dec. 8, Pleasant Hill Police announced they had returned to the neighborhood by tweeting, “5:30 pm Monument Blvd at I680 both directions and Marcia Dr is closed to all thru traffic. Please use alternate routes. Shelter in place issued for the Sherman Acres neighborhood due to police activity.”

Learn more from KTVU’s report here.

This is an ongoing investigation by the Pleasant Hill Police Department.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.