And just as the COLA group was marching into the downtown area around 11 on Saturday morning – there was a ruckus on Albert Street near Augusto Quan. Police were pursuing a thief who had allegedly just run out of William Quan store with a rotary tool.
Information before the court was that he ran out of the store with the tool and the security guard tackled him – causing the tool set to fall out of his shirt. Police who were nearby escorting the COLA march observed the ruckus and apprehended 37 year old Dwight Sosa.
Interestingly, Sosa had pleaded guilty to charge of theft a week ago and was fined $500. When he appeared again today he wanted to cop another guilty plea. He offered the same explanation he did last week: that he was trying to buy the item and was not stealing it. And because he pleaded guilty but declared his innocence, Magistrate Sharon Fraser entered an equivocal not guilty plea.
The prosecution objected to bail on the grounds that he was brought before the court for the same charge a week earlier and the objection was upheld; he was remanded until March first.
