We skipped our post-Christmas crime roundup, so buckle up and get ready for a hefty two weeks' worth of crime and mayhem reports from the northwest northeast neighborhoods to close out 2015. (All crime info is sourced from SFPD reports, unless otherwise noted.)
BART cop saves the day
At 1:40pm on Dec. 18th, a 22-year old woman was talking on her phone at Pine and Market when a 15-year-old boy grabbed the phone and ran into the Embarcadero BART station. The woman caught the suspect and asked him to return her phone, but let him go after he threatened to hit her. A BART police officer then apprehended the suspect, who was booked into juvenile detention, and the phone was returned to its owner.
Early-morning gunpoint robbery
A 36-year-old man was walking at Montgomery and Green streets around 4am on Dec. 20th when a male suspect approached him from behind, put a gun to his back and demanded his property. The victim threw his things onto the sidewalk, and the suspect made off with a jacket, leather satchel, wallet, keys and cell phone.
Elderly men robbed of casino chips and cash
Also in the wee hours of Dec. 20th, two elderly men were robbed of cash and casino chips at 5:35am on the 900 block of Pacific. Two men in their 20s were the alleged culprits, with one pushing one of the victims to the ground and the other threatening the second victim with a gun before the pair made off with the items, presumably winnings from an out-of-town casino visit.
Boozehounds break bad, rob Bay Street bodega
On Dec. 20th at 11:30pm, a man and a woman in their early 30s were shoplifting at a store on the 300 block of Bay Street when they were confronted by a 25-year-old man. "An altercation ensued," according to police, and the male suspect showed the younger man a handgun in his waistband. The suspects left the store with stolen bottles of alcohol.
Prostitution problems
A 34-year-old man was assaulted after soliciting a prostitute on Dec. 22nd. He told police that he had found her online, and driven to meet her in a housing project on the 800 block of Pacific. Two young men, aged 17-25, escorted the victim into an elevator, where he met the woman and walked down the hallway with her. The men were then joined by a third suspect, and all three began to assault the victim, with one suspect threatening him with a knife and demanding his property. After giving them his money and cell phone, the victim fled the scene with a bloody nose and lacerations to the mouth.
Shoplifting gone awry ends in arrest
On the evening of Dec. 23rd, a 26-year-old man was observed attempting to steal razors and iced tea from a store on the 400 block of Powell. A 24-year-old security officer confronted the suspect outside the store, and the suspect threatened him with a boxcutter and punched him. The officer managed to wrestle him to the ground and restrain him until police arrived to take him into custody. The security officer sustained a possible broken hand in the incident.
Unsolved fire station mystery
A wannabe firefighter who we're hoping was six years old (but probably wasn't) made off with a Christmas Eve present: a helmet belonging to a 43-year-old fireman. The victim had left the helmet in an unlocked fire engine in the garage of a fire station on the 1800 block of Stockton around midday; when he returned, the helmet was gone.
Bad Santa commits Christmas morning robbery
A 51-year-old man was sitting inside a business on the 400 block of Broadway at 1am on Christmas morning, when a man in his early 20s entered and hit the older man repeatedly in the face. The suspect made off with the victim's wallet and cell phone in a red vehicle, the only detail of the crime that was Christmas-appropriate.
ATM woes
Yet another ATM robbery in the neighborhood: in Christmas evening, a 58-year-old man was using the ATM at a bank on the 900 block of Stockton when a 40-year-old woman pushed him out of the way and began withdrawing money. Not realizing that the suspect was withdrawing money from his account, the victim looked on. A 40-year-old man was using the ATM next to the victim, and then joined the suspect as she walked away.
Late-night robbery on Sacramento Street
At around 3am on Dec. 27th, two men in their early 20s (the victims) were approached from behind by two men (the suspects), also in their 20s, on the 600 block of Sacramento. One suspect hit one victim in the head and demanded money, while the second suspect pushed the other victim and searched both men's pockets for property. The suspects, who police say were in possession of a gun, ran off with an ATM card, wallets, cash, and cell phone.
Check-cashing request turns into ATM robbery
A 22-year-old man was standing outside of a store at Powell and O'Farrell around 5:20am on Dec. 28th, when a woman in her early 30s approached him, asking him to help her cash a check. When he declined, she showed him a handgun in her waistband, then told him to walk to a nearby ATM, where a second woman, aged 35-40, was waiting. After the victim was forced to withdraw money for the pair, the suspects fled the scene in a cab; the victim was uninjured.
Younger sister attacks pregnant older sister
Two sisters were decidedly not in the holiday spirit when they got into an altercation on the 200 block of Broadway around 10:15pm on Dec. 28th. The seven-months-pregnant elder sister, 22, had called her younger sister, 16, to come over, and the pair got into a verbal argument that turned physical. The younger sister knocked the elder to the floor and began kneeing her in the stomach before fleeing in an unknown direction. The pregnant victim was taken to the hospital with pain to the stomach.
CD seller won't take no for an answer
Also on Dec. 28th, a CD seller got a little too aggressive when some potential customers turned him down around 2:50pm at Jefferson and Mason. When the two victims declined to purchase the album, the 20-25 year old man blocked one of them, demanding his money. He then stole the victim's wallet, took the money out of it, and threw it on the ground, then fled southbound on Mason with another 20-25 year old man alongside him.
Property demanded at Market and Third
Another robbery transpired just a few hours later at Market and Third streets, where a 21-year-old man was walking around 6:15pm when he was approached by a man in his 20s who demanded his property. After taking his money, he fled the scene; no one was injured.
Jewelry thieves ask to see pieces, then steal them
Yet another Dec. 28th robbery: a trio of jewelry thieves managed to make off with some baubles around 9:30pm, after asking the 57-year-old woman behind the counter if they could view some of her wares up close. After she removed them from a locked case, the trio, all women aged 20-30, reached over the counter for the jewelry. The clerk struggled with one of them to get it back, they were able to flee on foot. The incident occurred on the 100 block of O'Farrell, meaning the store robbed was likely Grace Jewelry.
Robbed at gunpoint while waiting for a ride
A 32-year-old woman waiting for a ride at Bel Air and Francisco streets got a nasty surprise around 8am on Dec. 29th, when a 30-35 year old man approached her, pulled a gun from his pocket, and pointed at her. After demanding her cellphone, he grabbed it from her, along with her purse, wallet, laptop, and house/car/work keys. No one was injured, and the suspect has not been arrested.
Knocked unconscious
A 46-year-old man was talking with his manager on the 400 block of Pacific Avenue on Dec. 29th around 9pm, when he was approached and punched in the face by a 25-year-old man. The blow knocked the victim unconscious, and he was admitted to the hospital with a broken nose and a skull fracture. Arriving police were able to take the suspect into custody.
