Posted on: Friday, March 14, 2014 Palo Alto man Googles himself, surrenders to police after finding he's on 'most wanted' site Source: San Jose Mercury News by David DeBolt
SAN LEANDRO -- Google Christopher Viatafa and with no digging at all you'll find he's wanted by San Leandro police. That's exactly what the 27-year-old Palo Alto man discovered this month.
The first result of his search led to the Northern California's Most Wanted website, where his picture appeared along with the charges he's facing, authorities said Friday. Accused of doing wrong, authorities said Viatafa then did what was right: He turned himself in to police.
Viatafa was wanted for allegedly firing rounds from a semi-automatic handgun after an argument during a party on Aug. 8 at the San Leandro Senior Center, 1309 East 14th St. He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
The website that led to his surrender, www.northerncaliforniamostwanted.org, was launched in December by the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI and Northern California Regional Intelligence Center. It lists criminals wanted by Bay Area police agencies and has been praised by law enforcement officials as a new important tool for capturing fugitives.
David DeBolt covers breaking news. Contact him in Richmond at 510-262-2728. Follow him at Twitter.com/daviddebolt.