In this week's SFPD Central Station newsletter, Capt. David Lazar thanks the department for providing 10 new officers, which help with the extra territory added with redistricting. He also warns people to watch out for common crimes, including cell phone grabs, ATM thefts and phone scams.
Capt. Lazar highlights a few great arrests, too, including a suspect in an auto burglary, graffiti/vandalism and selling drugs (police seized 46 rocks of cocaine). He also mentions that in honor of San Francisco hosting Super Bowl 50 in 2016, the NFL is kicking off football season with a concert at Justin Herman Plaza at 3:30pm Thursday, Sept. 10th (it's actually going to include two days of events Sept. 9th–10th along the Embarcadero from Justin Herman Plaza up to Pier 35, so be forewarned). And he recaps the Chinatown Night Out held Sept. 1st for monolingual residents, which welcomed more than 700 people.
Also, the court has found enough evidence to send to trial the case of Kathryn Steinle, who was shot and killed on Pier 14 on July 1st, according to San Francisco Chronicle reporter Vivian Ho:
Court finds sufficient evidence in Pier 14 murder charge to send case to trial.
— Vivian Ho (@VivianHo) September 4, 2015Now for the SFPD crime recaps for the week.
A male robber got away with a purse and cell phone after he pushed down a woman, 20, while she was walking on the 600 block of Pine Street in Chinatown at 1:35pm Aug. 29th. She suffered a bruise to the eye and was taken to St. Francis Hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.
Three women and two men confronted two women, ages 27 and 28, in a restaurant on the 400 block of Beach Street in Fisherman's Wharf at 2:45am Aug. 30th and a fight ensued. During the fight, one of the suspects punched the first woman in the face, giving her a swollen eye, and the second woman's wallet was taken. It contained multiple credit cards and her identification and Social Security card. All five suspects fled on foot eastbound on Taylor Street.
In yet another robbery, a 28-year-old woman was walking eastbound on Geary St. between Powell and Stockton streets in Union Square at 3am on Aug. 30th when a man approached on a bike and grabbed her purse, causing the strap to break. He fled the scene on his bike with a second suspect behind him on another bike. The suspects absconded with the purse, which included a California driver's license, bank cards and a cell phone.
A man, 37, was stabbed in Portsmouth Square in Chinatown around 9pm Aug. 30th after asking another man and woman who were arguing and causing a disturbance to leave the area. Read the full story here.
An argument on Pier 43 at Fisherman's Wharf on Aug. 30th led to a call to police at 10:47pm. A 35-year-old man was standing on the pier when four men approached, confronted him about sports and demanded his hat. The man suffered an abrasion to his eye but refused treatment; the suspects fled on foot with the hat.
A man was walking in traffic near the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero and hitting vehicles with his skateboard at 1pm Aug. 30th when another man came up to him, took his skateboard away and hit him with it, causing a cut to his head. The victim was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Just before entering his hotel room on the 400 block of Sutter Street in Union Square at 1:15am Sept. 2nd, a man, 34, was robbed when a woman ordered him to give her his wallet. In fear, he complied, and she took the wallet containing cash and credit cards.
Finally, the intersection of Polk and Bay streets near Fisherman's Wharf was shut down the afternoon of Sept. 4th for an investigation by the SFPD Traffic Collision Investigation Unit. At about 4:27pm Friday, officers responded to a collision between a motorcyclist and taxi. The motorcyclist was transported to San Francisco General Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Witness Jack Hutton tweeted this about it:
very bad accident at Polk & Bay. too bad to post a picture. motorcyle down @SFPD already on the scene, traffic being diverted. traffic bad
— Jack Hutton (@jackhutton) September 5, 2015An email from SFPD said preliminary information showed they collided in the intersection, but the direction of travel for each party is being investigated. No determination of fault had been made at the time the alert was sent. Anyone with information should contact the SFPD Anonymous Tip Line at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 with SFPD at the beginning of the message.
