It's been a busy couple of weeks since our last Castro crime and safety roundup. Since then, there have been multiple hot prowl burglaries and assaults reported by the SFPD, as well as an unconfirmed early-morning rooftop arrest and more.
Cab Driver Assault
We received a tip reporting that on August 14th around 1pm, a cab driver was assaulted on Corwin Street near Acme Alley. The tipster said that the two passengers did not have the fare to pay the driver, and a fight ensued. The driver was thrown to the ground and kicked in the head. According to the tip, the SFPD and paramedics arrived, and an arrest was made. However, Hoodline has received no confirmation of the incident from the SFPD.
Beaver Street Hot Prowl Theft
On August 20th around 6:30am, a man, 31, awoke to find that his house had numerous items missing, including his wallet, laptop, cell phones, and a bag of shoes. Both his front and rear downstairs doors were open, according to the SFPD. No suspect has been identified.
At-Risk Man Goes Missing
Also on the 20th, the SFPD put out an alert that 42-year-old Ryan Semonian had gone missing from a hospital near Castro and Market Streets. Semonian, who requires constant medical care and regular doses of medication, did not have money or a cell phone on him. Signs with his image posted around the neighborhood; no word from the SFPD as to whether he's been found.
Bryan "Feather Lynn" Higgins' Death Ruled Homicide
On August 21st, the SFPD updated us on the cause of death for Bryan "Feather Lynn" Higgins, who was beaten unconscious near Church and Duboce just over a year ago, and taken off life support three days later. Higgins' death has now been ruled as a homicide. There is a person of interest, but the SFPD will not release further information unless an arrest is made.
After-Bar Assault
On August 21st around 10:30pm, a man, 41, was leaving a bar when he was approached by another man of unknown age, according to the SFPD. The suspect punched the victim, who then fell to the ground. No arrests have been made.
Rooftop Arrest
Hoodline received two tips on August 22nd about a rooftop arrest that had been made early in the morning. Tipster David D. told us:
"There was an attempted burglary at 122 Henry around 7pm last night and the report was that the burglar escaped via the roof. A few hours later, the 100 block of Henry was blocked off with SFPD and SFFD vehicles with the suspect still on the rooftops. SFPD accessed a roof around 1am and they apprehended the suspect around 1:15 Saturday morning."
Tipster Laura gave us a bit more information:
"A guy broke into a building, and then exited through a third-story window and ended up on the roof of a nearby building. Police responded to the break-in (I guess he tripped an alarm), but thought he had gotten away, perhaps through the back gardens to 14th Street. They were called to the scene around 10pm when a neighbor realized someone was on a nearby rooftop, throwing shingles down. They brought in a fire truck with a ladder, blocked off the street at Noe and Castro and proceeded to try to talk him down. The rooftop is peaked, and it was pretty nerve-wracking watching the guy scrabbling and raving up there. Around 11:15pm, the police asked all of us onlookers to go inside—apparently, we were making the poor guy even more agitated."
We reached out to the SFPD for any information on this incident, and not received further information.
18th Street Hot Prowl Theft
A man, 25, awoke on August 24th to find that he had been burglarized while he was asleep. Stolen items included his computer, bicycle, and gym bag. No suspect has been identified. The incident occurred on 18th Street near Noe.
Sanchez Hot Prowl Theft
Another hot prowl happened on August 25th, on Sanchez Street near 18th. A man, 30, entered a building, kicked in two locked doors, destroyed the house alarm system panel, and shattered a glass door panel. Two men were home during the incident, and the suspect fled in an unknown direction. No arrests have been made in the case.
Man Helps Break Up Fight, Is Assaulted And Robbed
On August 27th at 10:45pm, a fight broke out on 18th Street. A man, 31, who had been waiting at a bus stop, helped break up the fight, and was then surrounded by three suspects. He was punched in the face and the suspects stole his necklace. The suspects were two males, 19-20, and a female, 19-20. No arrests have been made.
Safety Improvements
On the safety front, many of Market Street's new safety upgrades have now been implemented at the intersections at Noe, Sanchez, and Church, including newly painted crosswalks and safety zones. Additional long-term changes will appear in the future as well.
Did we miss any recent crime or mayhem in the neighborhood? Let us know in the comments, and please continue to send in tips on crimes you may have witnessed here, or via Facebook and Twitter.
Not-So-Zen Center
Update, 4pm: We received this additional report from a tipster at the Hartford Street Zen Center this afternoon:
Just past 6:30 a.m. this past Saturday, 29 August, one of our residents and her dog were in our back yard at 57 Hartford, and witnessed an unidentified male noisily exiting the rear of a house being renovated at 460 Noe St., across the northern section of our back fence. The perp executed a clever maneuver which enabled him to scale a wall and land in the yard of the house directly behind ours. Our dog began barking, which may have dissuaded the perp from trying to cross into our own yard. Our resident fled back inside and called 911, SFPD responding shortly thereafter. Receiving our resident's description of the alleged burglar, the police departed in search thereof. We repaired to our meditation hall as usual, and shortly thereafter heard an amplified police voice ordering, "Stop and put your hands in the air!" We think it likely they apprehended the person in question, but we didn't seek police confirmation.
