ShareThisIt was mayhem under the full moon in the northern reaches of California.
From the East Bay to the foothills, a series of bizarre and violent incidents this past weekend left seasoned investigators and casual observers trying to make sense of it all.
In Oakland, a Rancho Cordova man rode his bicycle to the downtown police headquarters Saturday and allegedly fired shotgun blasts into parked cruisers until officers wounded and subdued him.
In Placerville, a patient wearing a hospital gown stole an ambulance Sunday and led police on a brief, slow-speed chase before she allegedly crashed into their cars and was fatally shot by one officer.
In Sacramento, a fusillade of bullets at 4 a.m. Sunday left an alleged gang member dead in the parking lot of an all-night bowling alley popular with families.
And in South Natomas on Friday, a coach and teacher was gunned down after police say he inadvertently walked into the middle of a home invasion robbery at the apartment of friends.
Authorities had little or no explanation for the incidents.
Some suggested the full moon might have played a role, while others said warm temperatures may have brought out the worst.
"Sun's out, guns out," said Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran, describing a common belief that criminals come out in warm weather.
Curran said there's been a spike in the number of homicides this year compared with the first three months of last year. By the end of March 2009, there had been four killings in Sacramento County. As of Monday, there had been 12 this year, he said.
Curran said the latest slaying -- at Country Club Lanes early Sunday -- remained without witnesses or suspects. Deputies arrived to find the body of Joe Melvin Tyes, 19, in the parking lot, which was littered with "dozens and dozens" of shell casings, Curran said.
Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said there were no updates in the shooting death of Salvador Heredia-Arriaga, 26. The substitute teacher and football coach at Natomas High School was killed by two armed intruders while visiting friends Friday night. Police described the suspects as black males in their late teens or 20s, who wore dark hooded sweat shirts and vanished into the night.
At Natomas High on Monday, students visited grief counselors and held a moment of silence for Heredia-Arriaga, said district spokeswoman Heidi Van Zant. The 2001 graduate of Natomas High School had returned after college because he wanted to give back to the community, his mother said.
Oakland police and relatives of Nathaniel Reddick, 25, of Rancho Cordova said they have no idea why he shot up a half-dozen police cars and threw a hatchet at one. Police say he refused to drop his shotgun and was wounded.
"We don't know anything about motives or why he was there," said police spokeswoman Holly Joshi.
(E-mail reporter Hudson Sangree at hsangree(at)sacbee.com. For other stories, visit www.scrippsnews.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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