In this week's SFPD Central Station newsletter, Captain David Lazar again reminds neighbors to keep their mobile phones concealed while walking the streets. Phones can be snatched in mere seconds when not paying attention, and while his team is doing everything they can to curb this type of crime, he urges residents to be more mindful of their surroundings while walking around the neighborhood.

In happier news, he writes that increased foot patrols in Fisherman's Wharf seem to be making a difference in protecting tourists and local visitors alike. Just this last week, an officer walking the beat identified a person who was wanted for an alleged assault, and took them into custody. 

Lazar also warns drivers to yield to pedestrians walking through crosswalks. He and Officer Worrell, attired in plainclothes, were back at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Francisco Street this past Friday looking for violators.

"Officer Worrell and I crossed the street several times with motorists just ignoring us," he writes. "20 citations were written in an hour. Beginning in September, I plan on running approximately five of these focused enforcement operations around the Central District."

Finally, SFPD Officer Carlos Manfredi tweeted information about a burglary in the FiDi, in which $50,000 worth of antiques were reported stolen at a business on Hotaling Place. The business was not named, but it is likely art and antique store Foster-Gwin, located at 38 Hotaling Place. (A representative for the store declined to comment.)

RECOGNIZE THESE ANTIQUES? $50K in Greek & Japanese art stolen from Hotaling Place store. #SFPD Tipline 415-575-4444 pic.twitter.com/MwNDZe4lm5

— Officer Manfredi (@OfficerManfredi) August 25, 2016

Now, on to our bi-weekly neighborhood crime roundups. All information is culled from SFPD recaps, unless otherwise mentioned.

Man pushed to the ground, robbed of wallet and wedding band

On August 13th at 1am, a man, 55, was walking on the 900 block of Taylor Street in Lower Nob Hill when another man who appeared to be in his late 20s, approached him from behind and knocked him to the ground. The suspect then got on top of the victim, robbing him of his wallet and platinum wedding ring before fleeing the scene. 

Victim hit in the head with a gun, robbed of cash

In North Beach near the corner of Kearny and Union streets on August 13th, a man, 25, was walking to his car around 10:35pm when three suspects in their 20s approached him from behind. One of the suspects used a handgun to hit the victim several times before he fell to the ground, unconscious. When he awoke, he saw the suspects fleeing northbound on Kearny Street and noticed that cash was missing from his pocket. He was transported to a hospital in stable condition. 

Drive-by purse snatching ends in arrests

A woman, 26, was walking down the 2000 block of Hyde Street in Russian Hill on August 23rd at around 6:30pm, when a 2002 Cadillac Escalade pulled up beside her. Two of the suspects jumped out of the car and nabbed the victim's purse before fleeing the scene. Officers were later able to locate the car and took three suspects into custody: two men, 18 and 21, and a woman, 17. 

Two women robbed while walking

Four suspects were walking on the 300 block of Broadway in the FiDi, August 24th at around 1:30am when they passed two women, ages 36 and 30, walking the other way. The suspects then turned around and pushed the two victims up against a car, demanding them to "give them their stuff." The two women handed over their backpacks, containing their wallets and clothing items. The suspects then fled on foot. 

Argument leads to punch in the groin and broken nose

A man, 28, was standing in the doorway of a hotel near Jackson and Hotaling Place in the FiDi on August 24th at 4am, when a suspect, aged mid-20s to mid-30s, told the victim to move. Shortly thereafter, a verbal altercation ensued. The suspect kicked the victim in the groin and punched him in the face, breaking his nose, and then fled in a white Ford Crown Victoria eastbound on Jackson Street. The victim was taken to a hospital in non-life-threatening condition.