Acting on a tip, San Francisco police, with the assistance of Fremont police and the FBI, served a search warrant at a townhome in Fremont Thursday night.
"I was fearful last night because the cops were here with SWAT team, guns drawn and I just put my babies to sleep," resident Arthur Ramirez said.
Neighbors described a scene right out of a crime show on the quiet cul de sac; over 40 officers swarmed onto Lake Tahoe Terrace around 11 p.m., blocking traffic and using bullhorns to tell neighbors to take cover.
"They just announced, 'Everybody stay inside,' so we just stayed inside," resident Fatima Asalati said.
To witnesses, it seemed as though police were pursuing a suspect.
"They set up out here and were calling him to come out. They pulled down the blinds, dropped a ball in there with a camera, sent a dog in and finally went in themselves with arms drawn. They searched the place but nobody was there," Ramirez said.
"There were no arrests in this particular case. Items were seized, I do not know what those items are, it's part of our ongoing investigation," San Francisco police Sgt. Troy Dangerfield said.
The case of Mechtild Schoer's murder near Union Square Sunday night has been a top priority for San Francisco police this week. The 50-year-old teacher was here with her husband to celebrate her 25th wedding anniversary when she was caught in the crossfire between two groups of teens. She was shot in the head and died. Two others were wounded.
Police initially took five teenage boys into custody for questioning, but they were later released for lack of evidence. The teens were attending an end-of-summer party at the Native Sons building on Mason Street across from the hotel where the tourists were staying.
Then last night, detectives appeared in Fremont and witnesses say they hauled out bags and bags of evidence.
"A bunch of investigators came in with rubber gloves taking evidence," Ramirez said.
Police will not say exactly what they collected or what they were looking for; they just want to resolve this case as soon as possible.
