History Watch: “Dancing With Bullets”

History Watch:

“Dancing With Bullets”

Summer nights in San Rafael in the 1960’s were an experience that probably will never be matched.  On a warm Sunday night on June 28, 1965, it was business as usual in the downtown.  People were walking Fourth Street attending the movies at the Rafael Theater, businesses were open and kids were cruising Fourth Street.  Sunday night was not as bad as the weekends for cruising.  On a Friday or Saturday night it could take you 45 minutes to drive from Fourth and Lincoln to Fourth and E Street because of all the kids cruising on the street.  But for kids it didn't matter as it gave them plenty of time to visit with each other.

San Rafael Police Officers were out on patrol answering calls and mostly dealing with kids by pouring out their beer.  Well, most of it got poured out.  The County Communications Center, located on the second floor of 519 Fourth Street was in operation as usual with two dispatchers working in a cramped hot room filled with tube radios and cigarette smoke.  In fact, it was said that the smoke was so bad in that room that the radios had to be serviced often because of an oil buildup on the electronics from all the smoke.   In those days everyone in the county, police, fire, sheriff, and ambulance were all on the same frequency.  If you knew someone who worked there, all you had to do was park in the lot, yell up at the window and a dispatcher would come down and unlock the door and you could go upstairs and visit with them and listen to what was happening throughout the county.  It gave you the opportunity to sit with some of the best dispatchers of that time, such as Bill Allen and William "Sailor Bill" Keaton.

It was a typical Sunday night until a few minutes after midnight when shots rang out from the Standard Service Station (Jennifer Convertibles today) on the Southeast corner of Fourth and Lincoln Avenue.  The phones lit up and units were dispatched to the location.  San Rafael Police Patrolman Philip Green was the first to arrive on scene and he came upon an ugly sight.

Green observed a crowd of about 20 kids in the gas station parking lot.  Standing close by and threatening the crowd was Blaine Walter, 18 years old, who was holding a British Army .303 caliber rifle.  Walter was pointing the rifle at William Lambert, 18 years and at the crowd.   As Green got out of his car he observed Walter fire two shots from his rifle at Lambert’s feet, telling him to start dancing.

As Green approached, he watched as Walter fired three more shots, one of which went through a plate glass window to the gas station.  The second shot hit an oil can and the third embedded into a wall.  Green had no time to yell a warning as Walter had the rifle to his shoulder and he was aiming it at the crowd.  Green drew his .38 caliber service revolver and he brought Walter down with one shot.  Officers working that night heard Green get on the radio and tell dispatch, “San Rafael, I just shot someone.”

Additional units arrived and Walter was taken to San Rafael General Hospital (Mission and Nye St.) where he underwent surgery for a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the buttocks.  Upon examining the rifle, officers observed that it still had two live rounds in it with one in the chamber.  Walter was charged with attempted murder.

Officers investigated the incident to try to determine why it happened.  They learned that earlier in the evening Walter and a friend were hanging out at the gas station and Walter got into a fist fight with the victim, William Lambert.  Walter apparently lost the fight and he and a friend went to Walter’s residence, where he got the rifle and he returned to the gas station where he confronted the victim.  Both Walter and his friend were recent parolees from the California Youth Authority, Walter having served time for burglary.

Officer Phil Green was himself shot by a drug suspect in 1972 and although he nearly died from his wounds, he recovered and rose to the rank of Lieutenant with the San Rafael Police Department.  In 1977 he was hired as Chief of Police for the Corte Madera Police Department and in 1980 he was appointed Police Chief of the Twin Cities Police Department when the cities of Larkspur and Corte Madera merged.  Green retired in 2010 with 49 years of police service.  At the time of his retirement he held the distinction of being the longest tenured Police Chief in the State of California.  Sadly, Green passed away in his sleep in 2013.  He had a long and wonderful police career and he was a great asset to the communities he served.

Attached are two photos.  The first one is of the 519 Fourth Street building as it looks today.  Note that the upstairs windows (far right)  have been boarded up.  The upstairs room that once was the hub of law enforcement communications in Marin County has sat locked and vacant since the early 1970's when the communications center was moved to the newly built Civic Center.  There is no doubt that spirits of past dispatchers still occupy that room.  The building is now owned by the City of San Rafael.  The second photo was taken of Phil Green in 1963, two years before his shooting.

Copyright 2015 Harry Barbier –All Rights Reserved