It's time again to recount some recent crimes and injuries in the Financial District and North Beach areas as reported by SFPD sources. Though not meant to be comprehensive, it should serve as a brief snapshot of recent activity to help locals stay informed. We'll also occasionally include snippets from SFPD Central Station Capt. David Lazar's newsletter.
In the current issue of Capt. Lazar's newsletter, he writes about bike thefts from garages and package pilferers, and warns people to be aware and take steps for prevention. In last week's newsletter, he wrote that Central Station is ramping up efforts to Focus on the Five—the five primary factors that cause collisions (speeding, running red lights, failing to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk, unsafe turning and unsafe lane changes). A sting on May 20 with Officer Troy Courtney in plain clothes resulted in 29 citations to drivers for failing to yield to a pedestrian, he reported. And don't miss this video of an auto burglary arrest.
Now for the latest nefarious neighborhood goings-on:
The Wharf Shooting
The biggest news lately is a shooting that happened at 12:30am on May 29th at Jefferson and Leavenworth streets in Fisherman's Wharf. Two men were leaving a restaurant when two males and two females, about 17–18 years old, met them and asked one of the men if he was in a gang, then struck him in the head with a beer bottle. The victim ran west on Jefferson to south on Leavenworth and was shot in the back with a handgun, puncturing his colon. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The four suspects took off and no arrests were made, and the case is with the SFPD Gang Task Force.
This was the first shooting in the Wharf since last New Year's Eve, said Capt. Lazar. So far this year, there have been four shootings in Central and no official homicides. (The reports are not final on Kelsey Fourdyce, a 31-year-old Oakland woman found dead May 10th in the Great Star Theater in Chinatown, or on a 77-year-old woman, Lin Leung, who died after being attacked on Mother's Day after getting off of a Muni bus.)
Hot Prowls
Six "hot prowl" burglaries, so called when an intruder enters an occupied building, were reported in the past couple of weeks in the district. The first was at 7am May 16th in the 400 block of Pacific Avenue. Police stopped the 45-year-old man in front of a building, back-tracked his movements, and found he'd attempted to enter the building from the rear.
The second happened at 2:30am May 17th in the 700 block of Geary Street. A woman, 50, was sleeping in her bedroom and was awakened by some shuffling noise. She saw an arm reach in from the window and steal her purse.
The third hot prowl occurred at 10am May 17th in the 1400 block of California Street. A man in his thirties entered a home when a woman, 44, was in her bedroom sleeping. The noise awakened her and she saw her front door being closed by the suspect, who fled.
In the fourth hot prowl burglary, a 55-year-old man left his home in the 900 block of North Point Street at 1pm May 24th, and when he returned at 5pm, he found a 31-year-old woman in his home. She tried to flee with Chinese and U.S. currency, two medicine bottles, and a jacket, but officers arrested her.
Hot prowl number five happened at 12:30am on May 28th in the 600 block of Chestnut Street. A woman entered the garage area of an apartment complex and was spotted and asked to leave by a witness. The victim of the theft, a 36-year-old man, discovered the following day that his bicycle was missing. When described, the witness was able to confirm that the suspect fled on the victim's bicycle.
And finally, while a 27-year-old man was sleeping in the 700 block of Geary Street on May 28th, a thief entered the residence through an open window sometime between 1:30 and 7am and took two laptop computers, speakers, a tablet and sunglasses.
Muggings And Assaults
At 8:20pm May 17th at Geary and Powell streets, a 19-year-old woman was standing in front of a store with her cell phone in her hand when a 16-year-old male approached her, threatened her with a gun (though he didn't display it) and demanded her property. He grabbed her phone and fled, but she pursued him. Bystanders flagged down officers, who nabbed the suspect and recovered the phone.
A 29-year-old man suffered a puncture to the cheek and laceration to his hand after being stabbed with a knife at 9:10pm May 17th at Bush Street and Treasury Alley by a man he had picked up as a fare. The suspect placed the knife on the driver, causing him to crash, and then fled the scene. The driver was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
At 1:12am on May 22nd at Taylor and Bay streets, six suspects—one man and five women, all about 18–20 years old—surrounded three victims and demanded items from them. One of the suspects used pepper spray during the ordeal and made off with a smart phone and money before fleeing on foot.
While parking his red Chevrolet Spark at Pine and Leavenworth streets at 11:45pm May 22nd, a 49-year-old man was carjacked by two men. He got out of vehicle to open a garage door when a suspect jumped into the driver seat. A second suspect then punched and kicked the victim. When the victim confronted the first man at the driver side door, he brandished a knife and then both suspects fled the scene in the vehicle. The victim, bleeding from his lip and complaining of pain to his ribs, walked to St. Francis.
A 55-year-old man was assaulted by a 26-year-old man with a knife at midnight on May 23rd at Washington Street and Old Chinatown Lane. He suffered a cut to his hand and walked to Chinese Hospital with a non-life threatening injury.
At 2am May 22nd in the 200 block of Columbus Avenue, a 30-year-old man was mugged of his wallet, phone and passport. The suspect approached him from behind and hit him on the back of his head. The victim woke up to paramedics talking to him and his belongings no longer in his possession. He suffered bruising to his eye, a swollen lip, and a contusion to his head, and was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
In another mugging in the wee hours, a 34-year-old woman was assaulted and had her purse snatched in the 1400 block of Jones Street at 2:18am May 24th. She was walking into an apartment building when the suspect pushed her in the back, punched her in the face and stole her purse, making off with her wallet, driver license and money. She was treated at the scene for a cut lip and a cut on her head.
A 57-year-old woman was giving money to a teller at a check cashing place in the unit block of Kearny Street at 2:40pm May 25th when a man, 40, entered and demanded that the teller, a 45-year-old woman, hand over the money to him or he was going to shoot the customer. The teller pulled the audible alarm. The suspect took the victim's wallet, removed the money and fled the scene westbound on Geary Street.
At 9:07pm May 25th, a man, 29, was walking on the 400 block of Chestnut Street when a man around 20–25 years old, approached him, brandished a handgun and demanded his property. The victim handed over a wallet, credit cards, U.S. currency and smart phones, and the suspect fled the scene on foot westbound on Chestnut.
High-end art was taken from a garage in the 900 block of Lombard Street. It was last seen at 3pm Friday, May 22nd and the owner, a 36-year-old man, noticed it was missing at 5pm May 25th. There was no sign of forced entry.
A 50-year-old man was was attacked two men at Spofford Alley and Washington Street at 6:10pm May 26th. He was kicked and punched numerous times, lost consciousness and sustained numerous cuts and lacerations, and was transported to San Francisco General Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The victim said the attack was unprovoked.
In an ongoing trend, a portable toilet was set on fire at 5:05am May 27th in the 1400 block of Taylor Street, and this time a Ford wagon parked next to it was engulfed in flames as well. The toilet was melted into near oblivion, as evidenced in a photo posted on Imgur. No arrest was made.
Yet another cell phone was stolen, this time at 11pm May 27th at Market and Fremont Streets. A 28-year-old woman was at a bus stop talking on the phone when a man grabbed it from behind. She resisted, but he got away with it.
