Here's our latest recap of some recent crimes and injuries in the Financial District, North Beach and adjoining neighborhoods, as reported by SFPD sources. Though not meant to be comprehensive, it should serve as a brief snapshot of recent activity to help locals stay informed. We'll also occasionally include snippets from SFPD Central Station Capt. David Lazar's newsletter.
This week's Captain's newsletter gives a reminder on the safety fair at Tel-Hi Center (660 Lombard St.) at 6pm Friday, Aug. 28th. "The purpose of the meeting is to discuss what has been happening with the 'groper' incidents on Russian Hill and Nob Hill as well as the auto burglaries and other criminal issues we are experiencing," Capt. Lazar writes.
The station is also focusing efforts on traffic enforcement, he notes, including giving citations for failing to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk, red lights, stop signs, illegal turns, right of way violations and failing to yield to passengers stepping off of cable cars. So if you're driving out there, behave.
Here are some of the week's notable crimes:
Thieves struck a victim in the face and made off with sunglasses on the 200 block of Stockton Street in Union Square at 8pm Aug. 14th. The male victim, 28, recognized the three thieves as previous theft suspects, and tried to get them to leave. One of them struck him as another grabbed items, and then they fled on foot. The victim was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with non-life-threatening facial injuries.
Two more Chinatown jewelry grabs, an ongoing issue, were reported this past week. Typically the victims have been senior women, but not in these incidents. The first was reported at 2:27am Aug. 15th on the 600 block of Broadway. Two men approached another man from behind, struck him in the face several times and knocked him to the ground. They grabbed his necklace and bracelet and fled on foot. The victim was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with non-life-threatening facial injuries.
In the second jewelry grab, a teenager approached a 35-year-old woman from behind at 7pm Aug. 17th on the 1100 block of Powell Street, grabbed her necklace, and pushed her to the ground. The suspect fled the area on foot.
At 4:55pm Aug. 15th on the 100 block of Post Street in the FiDi, a man stuffed several bras into a shopping bag and then spit into the face of a woman who confronted him. He fled with the goods.
A woman was punched in the face trying to prevent a hair clip theft at 5:35pm Aug. 15th on the unit block of Kearny Street in the FiDi. A woman entered a store, helped herself to a hair clip and proceeded to leave. As she was exiting, another woman confronted her. The suspect punched the victim, dropped the item, and fled northbound on Kearny Street. The victim complained of pain to the cheek but refused medical treatment.
At Battery and Hallick streets in the FiDi at 4:30am Aug. 16th, five men surrounded another man, and one pushed him while another stole his wallet and cell phone. All five fled on foot. The victim complained of pain to his back, but refused medical treatment.
Another robbery with force happened at 10:58pm Aug. 16th at Beach and Taylor streets in Fisherman's Wharf. Two women, age 27 and 28, were walking when two men approached. One man grabbed a purse from the first victim's shoulder, causing her to fall to the ground. A second man grabbed the other woman's purse and they struggled over it, but the thieves ended up making off with both purses, a camera and money. They fled the scene in a silver four-door Honda.
At 9pm Aug 17th on the unit block of Powell Street near Union Square, three suspects—two men and a woman—shoved a 28-year-old man from behind and took his money. The suspects fled the area on foot, but responding officers located and arrested all three.
Two men were arguing in the unit block of the Embarcadero at 8pm Aug. 18th when one pulled out a knife and cut the hand of the other, then fled on foot. Responding officers located the suspect and placed him under arrest. The victim was treated at the scene for his injury.
Finally, at 12:45pm Aug. 19th at an unknown location in the Central district, a collision between two vehicles, each occupied by two men, led to a robbery. Following the collision, two men from one vehicle confronted the occupants of the other. One pointed a handgun at one of the victims and demanded his property. The suspects took his cell phone and driver license and fled in a black Honda Accord in an unknown direction.
