Castro Crime & Safety: Hot Prowls, Returning Burners Attacked With Bricks, More

Castro Crime & Safety: Hot Prowls, Returning Burners Attacked With Bricks, More18th & Eureka collision. (Photo: Laurel Shane)
Brian Ray
Published on September 12, 2016

Compared to our last roundup, there are fewer crime and safety happenings in the Castro this time around. But we still have a series of hot prowls, an incident in which a man kicked a dog in Duboce Park, and a hit-and-run that left injuries and vehicle/storefront damage in its wake. There's also an interesting piece on the continued prevalence of violence against LGBTQ people—even in San Francisco. 

Read on for the latest; all reports are in chronological order and come via the SFPD, unless otherwise noted.

Man Kicks Dog During Duboce Park Incident

Earlier in the month, we reported on a confrontation between dog owners at Duboce Park.

The video, taken on the night of September 1st, shows a man who appears to be the owner of a basset hound arguing with a group of people who are attempting to block his access to a woman and her black lab. As the woman and her dog attempted to move away, the man walked up to the lab and kicked it, causing commotion as a bystander then tackled the man, trying to restrain him. The man who kicked the dog then picked up his basset hound and left.

As of now, no apparent arrest has been made, and the man who kicked the dog has yet to be identified.

Diamond Street Hot Prowl

A 62-year-old woman awoke on September 3rd to find that her residence near Diamond and Market had been burglarized overnight. Her front door was open, and many areas of the residence had been gone through. Stolen items included a computer and credit cards. No suspect has been identified.

Hartford Hot Prowl

Another hot prowl happened overnight on September 4th, near Hartford and 17th. The victim, a bedridden 56-year-old man, fell asleep at 11:30pm. His son arrived at 2am to find the garage door open and numerous items, including a laptop, camera, backpack, calculator, charger, and jacket, stolen. No suspect has been identified.

20th Street Hot Prowl

A third hot prowl took place early on September 6th at 1am on 20th Street, near Castro Street. A woman, 28, reported that her roommate was awoken by an unknown suspect. The victim checked the house and realized that she had left her key in the door, enabling the suspect to enter. No losses were reported, other than the victim's keys. No arrest has been made.

Reader Tip On Post-Burning Man Incident

Hoodline reader Castro Resident gave us a tip on a September 7th incident involving people returning from Burning Man:

"There was an incident sometime between 9:30-10:30 pm Wednesday night at the intersection of Noe and Beaver. Several folks were unloading a truck returning from Burning Man when a white male began throwing bricks at the gathered group. The man smashed at least one car window with the bricks and seemed to be upset because one of the participants was gender non-conforming. Despite this attack looking strongly like a hate crime the SFPD did nothing to investigate or take statements."

Corona Heights Coyote Raises Residents' Concerns

Residents have seen more and more of the Corona Heights coyote in recent weeks.

We shared a video of the furry creature last week, and some neighbors wondered whether or not they could trap and relocate the animal; one neighbor responded that "coyotes cannot be relocated per California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and SF Animal Care and Control. They are wild animals, and we must coexist with them."

Weekend Hit-And-Run Leaves Damaged Vehicles & Storefront, Injuries

On September 10th, we reported on a collision at 18th and Eureka, which left two people injured, vehicles damaged, and the window of a corner store smashed.

The incident occurred after SFPD officers attempted to stop an Infiniti G35 at 7:55am at 18th and Sanchez. The driver sped away, and officers didn't pursue the vehicle; after they returned to Mission Station, they discovered that the Infiniti had collided with a Prius and smashed into The Rainbow corner store further up the road.

Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline

Two of the three occupants of the Prius went to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver and passenger of the Infiniti, a man and a woman both in their 20s, fled on foot. The SFPD is looking at surveillance video and talking to witnesses for more info. 

SF LGBT Center Director Speaks Out On Anti-LGBTQ Violence

The Advocate recently published an article on the ongoing violence against LGBTQ people, even in the relatively accepting climate of San Francisco. Written by San Francisco LGBT Center executive director Rebecca Rolfe, the piece tells of an August incident in which an individual was shouting homophobic slurs attacked the LGBT Center's exterior with a metal pipe, shattering two windows and a glass door.

While the attacker was quickly apprehended, and the incident is currently being investigated as a hate crime, Rolfe writes that "the attack left me and many staffers in shock. I was angry and also sad. It was a stark reminder that even in San Francisco, homophobia and violence continue to be pervasive in the LGBTQ community."

Rolfe notes that the LGBT Center is working on the Violence Prevention Collaborative, "a one-year pilot program involving five San Francisco nonprofits that serve the LGBTQ community and survivors of violence ... a few broken windows won't stop us from continuing to serve our community with pride."

Did we miss any recent crimes around the neighborhood? If you've got info on a crime or neighborhood safety issue to share, send us a tip here or add a comment below.