FiDi & North Beach Crime: Armed Robbery, Man Beaten With Pipe,  MorePhoto: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline
Nathan Falstreau
Published on September 13, 2017

Time for another look at crime in SFPD's Central District, which includes Chinatown, Financial District, Embarcadero, Russian, Telegraph and Nob Hills, North Beach, and Union Square.

In the latest edition of the Central Station Newsletter, Captain Paul Yep writes of the department's commitment to San Francisco's sanctuary city policy, and urges residents to feel comfortable reporting crime, regardless of immigration status. 

"The San Francisco Police Department stands by its commitment to fostering trust and cooperation with all the people of our city," Yep writes.

"We encourage everyone to communicate with San Francisco police officers without fear of inquiry regarding their immigration status," he continued. "San Francisco has been a sanctuary city under Mayor Lee, as well as under previous mayors, and we will continue to be a sanctuary city moving forward."

Here are some of the incidents that have taken place since our last report. Unless otherwise noted, all reports are based on information from SFPD.

Hot prowler arrested after victim detained suspect

A hot prowl burglary occurred just before 1am on September 7th on the 100 block of Clay Street, near the Ferry Building. 

A 39-year-old man noticed a 33-year-old man burglarizing his garage and confronted him. The victim was able to physically restrain the suspect until police arrived at the scene and arrested him.

The only loss reported was the victim's garage door opener. 

Random attacker strikes man with metal pipe 

At 4am on September 7th, a 47-year-old man was injured after being hit with a metal pipe on the 600 block of Market Street in the FiDi.

An unknown suspect in his 30s or 40s came up from behind and struck the man with the pipe, and then fled the scene.

The victim suffered non-life threatening injuries, but was not transported for treatment. No arrests were made. 

Suspect punches hotel employee over parking

On September 6th, just before 5pm, a hotel employee was attacked after ushering a suspect from a loading zone near the corner of Taylor and Post streets in Lower Nob Hill. 

The victim, a 53-year-old woman, was attempting to move along a man in his early 60s, who was parked in a loading zone in front of the hotel.

As the employee was taking a photo of the suspect with her phone, he came out of the car and tried to grab the phone from her hands.

Unable to do so, the suspect then punched her in the stomach and fled in his car, heading eastbound on Post Street. No arrest was made. 

Robber nabs camera equipment 

At an unspecified location in Chinatown on September 1st at 10:30pm, a 26-year-old man was walking down the street when he was approached by an unknown suspect in his 30s.

The suspect demanded he hand over a camera he was carrying. The victim—out of fear—gave him his camera and the attached camera lens, and the suspect fled the scene. 

No arrest was made. 

Bullet found in woman's apartment after return

On September 1st between 8am–5:15pm, shots were fired near the corner of Leavenworth and Pacific in Russian Hill.

A 30-year-old woman left for work at 8am. When she returned home at 5:15pm, she noticed a spent bullet in her house that allegedly came through her window.

There were no suspects or witnesses, and no injuries were sustained. No arrest was made in the incident. 

Knife-wielding suspect taken into custody

On September 1st at 8:45am, near the corner of Washington and Davis Streets, a 38-year-old man was reportedly threatening pedestrians while wielding a knife.  For more information, here's our story

Two women pepper-spray victim, rob him of his cash

A robbery occurred on September 1st, just before 3am, on the 100 block of Sutter Street (near Montgomery) in the FiDi.

The victim, a 40-year-old man, met up with two women—one in her 20s and the other described as a 21-year-old—who pepper-sprayed him and took his money. The suspects then fled in an unknown vehicle.

The victim suffered from non-life threatening injuries and was treated at the scene. 

Victim held up at gunpoint, beaten and then robbed

On August 28th, at 11pm, a robbery at gunpoint occurred on the 700 block of Clay Street near Portsmouth Square in Chinatown.

A 45-year-old man was walking on Clay Street toward Grant Avenue when a man in his 30s pointed a gun at him. Three other suspects in their 30s began punching the victim and robbed him of his handbag, which contained cash, credit cards, wallet and a cell phone.

The four suspects then fled eastbound on Clay Street. The victim suffered minor injuries, but was not taken to a hospital for treatment. No arrests were made. 

Man attacked and robbed of his tablet while walking

A robbery and assault on the 400 block of Grant Avenue (between Bush and Pine) in Chinatown occurred just before midnight on August 27th. 

During the incident, three male suspects in their 20s attacked a 24-year-old man from behind and began punching him.

The suspects went through the victim's backpack, purloined his tablet and then fled the scene on foot. 

The victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. No arrest was made.

Anyone who has information about these incidents is encouraged to contact SFPD via the department's anonymous tip line at 415-575-4444, or text TIP411 with "SFPD" at the start of the message.

Here’s why we usually don’t include suspect descriptions in crime reports.