Castro Crime: Robbery Victims Stabbed In Faces, Another Shot, Possible Mugging Spree, More

Castro Crime: Robbery Victims Stabbed In Faces, Another Shot, Possible Mugging Spree, MorePhoto: Evan Blaser/Flickr
Brian Ray
Published on January 09, 2017

Following our last roundup, Castro crime remained steady through the holidays and into the new year. This time around we saw a mix of hot prowls, stabbings, muggings and a shooting, as well as one man who reports outrunning a would-be mugging.

All reports are in chronological order and come from the SFPD's daily crime recaps, unless otherwise noted.

Christmas Eve Hot Prowl

In the early morning hours of December 24th, a 49-year-old man's Dolores Park-area home was robbed of two bicycles. The victim reported returning to his home near 20th and Church at midnight, parking his car and forgetting to close his garage door. Between midnight and 9am, an unknown suspect entered the open garage and stole the bikes. No arrest was made.

Holiday Party Hot Prowl

A home near Hartford and 17th was robbed Christmas Day while the victims, a group of three men, prepared for a holiday party. Around 7pm, while all three were cooking upstairs, one man went downstairs to an in-law unit and discovered a rear door wide open and items stolen, including a credit card, wrist watch and wedding band. No suspect was identified.

Robbery Attempt Leads To Victims Stabbed In Face

At 3am December, two men, both 20, were hanging out at 20th and Church near Dolores Park when two suspects, men in their mid-20s, approached and demanded a wallet. When the victims refused, one of the suspects stabbed both victims in the face before fleeing on foot. The victims were transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and no arrests were made.

Sanchez Hot Prowl

A 28-year-old man awoke at 8:30am December 28th to find that items were missing from his residence near Sanchez and Market. An unknown suspect had taken his jacket and passport and fled the scene. No arrest was made.

Duboce Housemate Stabbing Leads To Arrest

At 2:23am December 29th, two men, both 50, got into a physical altercation at their shared house on Henry between Noe and Sanchez. One of the men jumped and struck the other with a glass. The struck man was holding a knife and stabbed the other, causing non-life threatening injuries. According to a report from NBC Bay Area, the man who stabbed the other ran away and hid under a car in the neighborhood, where he was spotted and arrested around 3am.

New Year's Eve Phone Robbery

At 12:15am December 31st, a man, 39, was walking with his phone in his hand near Collingwood and 18th when he was shoved to the ground and punched by an unknown male suspect. The suspect stole the victim's phone and fled in an unknown direction. The victim was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and no arrest was made.

New Year's Day Hot Prowl

For a 23-year-old man, 2017 began with an early-morning loss of property. Between 3am and 8am January 1st, an unknown suspect pried the security door open in the victim's building, went to the garage, stole his bicycle and fled while the victim slept. No arrest was made.

Dolores Park Assault

Around 4:30pm January 5th, a 22-year-old man approached an unidentified suspect in Dolores Park after being told that the suspect had robbed him. A confrontation began, and the suspect hit the victim in the head with a bottle, causing non-life threatening injuries. The victim was transported to the hospital, and no arrest was made.

Thief Changes Clothes On Stairs Before Stealing Package

Photo: Nextdoor

Later on the 5th of January, a Nextdoor user who wishes to remain anonymous posted video clips and a description of a "brazen" package thief who made time for a wardrobe change while stealing from the victim's porch:

"At 5:30pm today, the thief in these videos climbed the stairs of my house, proceeded to completely change clothes on my front step under the bright light, and then nonchalantly steal my package which was under the doormat, put up his umbrella and walk off like he owned the place. I've never had a package stolen before as the entry is not on street level. Clearly the scumbags are getting more brazen. Keep your eyes peeled for this one."

Commenters on the post included neighbors who claimed seeing an increase in package theft.

Robbery Scuffle Ends In Shooting

A final reported incident from the 5th took place near 18th and Dolores at 9pm when two men, both 25, approached a 29-year-old man and asked him for a cigarette. When the older man said he didn't smoke, they asked for a lighter and he pulled one out. One of the two men then revealed a handgun and the older man grabbed it, resulting in a struggle. The second of the two suspects took the older man's wallet from his pocket and the gun then discharged and hit him. Both suspects fled with the victim's wallet, money, debit card and cell phone. The victim was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. No arrests were made.

Attempted Mugging Foiled As Man Outruns Suspects—Who May Have Mugged Another Victim Just Blocks Away

We received an anonymous tip from a man who was nearly mugged January 7th during the big rainstorm that left many streets relatively quiet. While walking on the west side of Sanchez Street near Ford around 8:30pm, the man walked past four younger men, all wearing hoodies of various color. The victim tells Hoodline that he heard the men say something, briefly turned around and saw one of them quickly coming up behind him. The victim says he shouted, "What are you doing?" to the younger man and began to run, eventually darting into the road and using his umbrella to hit the suspect as the suspect attempted to grab him by his raincoat.

The victim eventually lost the umbrella and the suspect at 17th Street, when a woman in a car pulled up and told him to get in. Shaken, the victim says he was unsure if she was trying to help or if it was some kind of scam, and he continued to run to his boyfriend's residence near Market Street. Once there, they called the cops.

We also received a report from the SFPD of a similar mugging later the same night near Church and 18th. Around 8:43pm, a 38-year-old man was surrounded by the four men—closely matching the description our tipster provided—who demanded his property. The victim complied, and the suspects fled on foot with his cell phone, wallet and money. No arrests were made.

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. Or, text Hoodline at (415) 200-3233 if you see an incident, and we’ll see what we can find out.