Here are the latest recent crimes and injuries in the Financial District and North Beach along with nearby neighborhoods, as reported by SFPD sources. Though not meant to be comprehensive, it should serve as a brief snapshot of significant activity to help locals stay informed. We'll also occasionally include snippets from SFPD Central Station Capt. David Lazar's newsletter.
In this week's newsletter, Capt. Lazar asks everyone to save the date for National Night Out 5–8pm Tuesday, Aug. 4th, on Filbert Street between Powell and Stockton streets. It'll include law enforcement groups, a resource and community fair, kids' activities, McGruff the Crime Dog and more. He writes,
National Night Out is always the first Tuesday in August and is held all across the country, in 16,000 communities where the police and the community come together in partnership against crime and to promote crime prevention and safety.
Capt. Lazar also reminds everyone the importance of video surveillance in helping SFPD solve crimes and gave an update on traffic enforcement. He thanked Sgt. Larry Chan and the officers of Central Station for issuing 90 citations this month. Most were for illegal turns; others were for failing to yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk and for running stop signs.
The SFPD newsletter this week also has a long list of incidents ranging from robbery and theft to battery and vandalism. Here are a few for which we have more details.
At 10:21pm July 2nd, five male teenagers approached a 65-year-old woman at Market and Montgomery streets in the FiDi, pushed her to the ground, and took her purse. They fled the scene on foot. No injuries were reported.
A potential thief was thwarted at 12:16am July 4th at California and Hyde on Nob Hill. First, a 20-year-old man approached a 49-year-old man and told him to give him all of his stuff. That man stepped back and the suspect focused on others in the area. He stole a bicycle by force from an 18-year-old man, but the victim was able to struggle and recover the bicycle. He then put it down and went back inside a bar. A third man, age 34, then grabbed the bicycle from the suspect and walked the bike into the bar.
A sock robbery turned violent in the 200 block of Fisherman's Wharf at 10:20pm July 4th. Three men, ages 15, 25 and 31, entered a business, stole socks and attempted to leave. A female told them to stop, and they threw her to the ground and kicked her multiple times. Officers responded to the scene and made an arrest. The victim complained of pain but refused medical treatment.
At 12:40am July 5th, a teenager, about 17 or 18 years old, approached a 25-year-old man in the 300 block of Geary and began kicking and punching him. He took the victim's wallet, which contained money and a credit card, and fled. The victim's face was swollen and he had cuts and bruises on his elbows and knees, but refused medical treatment.
A man forcefully grabbed a cell phone out of the hand of a 33-year-old man at 8:17pm July 9th at Mason Street and Pacific Avenue, then fled westbound on Pacific.
At 1:11am July 10th, a 27-year-old woman was attacked by a man, age 35, on Varennes near Filbert Street and Grant Avenue, but neighbors came to her rescue. They chased him off and called 911. SFPD officers responded quickly, caught the suspect near the North Beach Library and charged him with false imprisonment. Read the full story.
