We do our best to keep you informed of crime and quality of life issues in the neighborhoods we cover. In the case of the Tenderloin, which has its fair share of crime and mayhem, we won't be covering every on-the-street incident or mugging, but we'll do our best to give readers a snapshot of what's been going on.
Here's a selection of crimes that took place in the Tenderloin and Mid-Market area in the first half of May. All details are pulled from the SFPD's daily crime recaps.
Stabbing
At 11:20am on the morning of May 13th, SFPD's Southern district officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Market Street in response to a stabbing. A 34-year old male entered a store on Market Street and stole cell phones from a display, putting them in his bag. He chased a female employee behind the counter, at which point her male colleague confronted the suspect and told him to leave. The suspect then took out a knife and cut the male shopkeeper "on his head." The victim was transported to SFGH, and the suspect was arrested.
Robbery With Force
On May 9th a call was put in to SFPD at 10pm regarding a mugging on Sutter and Polk streets. The 34-year old female victim was walking when she was approached from behind and then punched in the face. She fell to the ground and the suspect fled with her purse, containing her work cell phone, employee badge, car key and ID. She refused medical assistance, and the suspect was not apprehended.
Homicide
As we reported earlier this week, at 1:10am on the morning of May 9th a drive-by shooting took place on the 500 block of Larkin Street. The suspects were driving an older-model light-colored SUV. The victim suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, and was transported to SFGH, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Shooting
Another shooting took place on May 9th, but this time at 5am at the intersection of Geary and Van Ness. The 35-year old male victim walked himself into SFGH with a gunshot wound to the leg, and was uncooperative with SFPD about the details of the shooting.
Bike Mugging
At 12:01am on May 6th, Northern Station officers responded to a theft at Larkin and Grove streets. A 35-year old male was walking with his bicycle when he was punched by one suspect. An additional suspect took the victim's bike and fled the scene. The victim suffered pain to his face, and a cut to his hand, but was not transported to SFGH.
Attempted Shoplifting With Razor
On May 4th, SFPD officers responded to call from the 900 block of Market Street, where a violent shoplifting had taken place. The suspect had entered the store, loaded up on several items, and left without paying. The victim, a 30-year old woman, approached the suspect in an attempt to detain him. He then pulled out a razor and cut the victim on her thumb. Responding officers located the suspect and arrested him.
Mysterious Stabbing
At 11am on May 3rd officers responded to Larkin and Ellis streets where a victim had been stabbed in the shoulder. The victim was transported to SFGH but did now know how he had gotten stabbed, and refused to cooperate with the investigation.
On the non-criminal mayhem front, this part Monday morning saw a chain reaction of collisions begin around 9am after a parking attendant in a garage near Jones and O'Farrell left a car in gear, prompting it to roll backward, smash through a railing, collide with several other vehicles and break through a waterline, causing some flooding in the garage basement. After firefighters showed up, the driver of a Mercedes slammed into a fire engine. No one was injured in the chaos.
And finally, in this month's Tenderloin Station newsletter, Captain Jason Cherniss highlighted the issue of selling alcohol to intoxicated individuals with this account:
"Last Friday I was in the district and was flagged down by a citizen who complained that a woman was harassing pedestrians by yelling at them. The citizen described the woman as 'falling down drunk.' I immediately located the intoxicated woman, and before I was able make contact with her, she walked into one of the Tenderloin’s many off-sale alcohol outlets. I waited outside, and the intoxicated woman came out holding a cold 40-ounce can of beer."This is not OK. I had a discussion with the clerk, who happened to be the owner of the store, and we discussed his/her responsibility as it related to not selling to intoxicated individuals. It is unlawful for someone to sell alcohol to anyone who shows signs of being intoxicated. It is also unlawful for someone to sell alcohol to anyone who is habitually intoxicated.
"The local office of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control will be following up on this case. If you are aware of similar conduct by an alcohol outlet, please send a detailed email to Tenderloin Station’s Permit Officer Miguel Torres at miguel.torres{at}sfgov{dot}org."
