SFPD Central Station Capt. David Lazar writes in his weekly newsletter that Officers Samuel Fyles, Nathalie Peraza and Paul McIntosh have completed the Academy and are going to begin their field training at Central Station.
He also notes that officers wrote 1,105 traffic citations during October, up 11 percent from October 2014. "We are seeing far too often pedestrians hit by motorists in the crosswalk and so we are focusing on this violation in an effort to reduce collisions," he writes. "Please be patient when driving around the district and take a moment to provide the right of way to pedestrians." In fact, 27 motorists were cited in less than an hour for failing to yield to a pedestrian at Sansome and Green streets on November 16th.
Now for your latest crime recap:
Cyclist collides with pedestrian
An 89-year-old man was walking northbound across Market Street at Third Street in the FiDi at 9:35am November 13th when he was struck by a male bicyclist, 45, going eastbound on Market. Both parties sustained head injuries from falling on the asphalt and were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Man hit with glass mug at club
A fight broke out at a nightclub on the 400 block of Broadway in North Beach at 1:18 am November 14th. Four women, ages 20–25, were involved in the fight and one threw a glass mug, hitting a 23-year-old man and causing a cut to his head. The women were escorted out of club.
Woman assaulted in purse theft
At 1:37am November 14th, a man, about 20–25, approached a 24-year-old woman from behind at Pine and Hyde streets on Nob Hill, threw her to the ground, threatened to punch her and took her purse. The suspect fled on foot.
Man punched as he left store
A man, 51, exited a store on the 200 block of Sutter Street in the FiDi at 6:23pm November 14th when a man, 25–30, approached him and punched him in the face. The victim fell to the ground and lost consciousness, and the suspect fled on foot in unknown direction. The victim was taken to the hospital with a bloody mouth and wound on the back of his head.
Purse snatcher strikes from behind
Another purse snatching happened at 10:19pm November 14th at Bush and Sansome streets in the FiDi. A woman, 48, and her friend were walking, when a man, 20–25, ran up from behind and snatched the purse, then fled the scene with the purse containing money and a passport.
Guard punched in face during store robbery
On the 100 block of Powell Street in Union Square at 11:02am November 15th, a man, 25–30, tried to leave a store without paying for a jacket and shoes. The security guard, a 24-year-old man, tried to stop him from leaving the store, but the suspect punched him in the face. The guard recovered the stolen merchandise from the suspect, who fled.
Teen trio pins woman to wall and steals wallet
A neighbor on Nextdoor posted that her female friend was walking in the vicinity of where Montgomery and Washington streets and Columbus Avenue intersection in the FiDi/Jackson Square area at 7:10pm November 15th when three male teenagers approached her and pinned her against a wall. The police recap notes the woman was 26 years old, and that they ripped her wallet out of her hand. The Nextdoor post reports she chased them to Battery and Clay streets, but the recap says they fled.
Child abduction arrest
At around 10am on Nov. 17th, a mother and her two-year-old son had boarded Muni on the 600 block of Sansome Street when a man entered the bus behind them, grabbed the child and took him northbound on Sansome. The mother screamed and quickly exited the bus, confronting Singh who was holding her crying son, according to the SFPD. She pulled the child away from the man, subsequently identified as 45-year-old Sudesh Singh of Oakland, then reboarded the bus with her child, who was unharmed.
Investigators from the SFPD Special Victim’s Unit (SVU) were assigned to the case, and using video footage, they identified Singh "when it was learned that Singh had been contacted by officers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security who had earlier detained him on the 600 block of Sansome for acting suspiciously," according to police.
A crime alert was issued, and Singh was detained by BART police at the San Francisco International Airport BART Station on Nov. 20th, and he was booked on kidnapping and child endangerment charges.
ATM ambush
At 7:30am on Nov. 19th, a 41-year-old woman was withdrawing money from an ATM at New Montgomery & Market when a man, aged 18-21, approached and grabbed her phone. They wrestled on the ground over the phone, and the victim cut her knee and hand in the process. The suspect fled with the phone and was not apprehended.
