After a hiatus for Capt. David Lazar's vacation, this week's SFPD Central Station newsletter is chock full of information.
Capt. Lazar writes that he and his team at Central Station are gearing up for this coming weekend's North Beach Festival, as well as the Pride Parade on June 26th. Last year, Central Station's boundaries changed to include parts of Market Street, so this will be Central's first time working the Pride beat. (He also reminds locals that the North Beach Festival is an alcohol-free event, except for in designated beer gardens.)
On the traffic beat, the Traffic Company has been assisting with enforcement on the Broadway corridor, citing multiple drivers for texting while driving, speeding and failing to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. It's all a part of the city's Vision Zero plan to put a stop to pedestrian deaths.
Capt. Lazar even personally gave a citation to a bicyclist who ran several red lights on Market Street. "Better a future reflection on receiving this citation and stopping next time than by being hit by a car," he wrote.
There were some notable arrests in the district this past week. On Thursday, Officers Van Koll and Anderson arrested an individual who is believed to be involved in four recent auto thefts. The suspect would pose as a valet at a hotel on Geary, and then drive away once the victims handed over their keys.
Officers Harris and Nestor from Tenderloin Station also assisted Central Station with the arrest of a suspect believed to be responsible for multiple thefts and robberies at retail stores downtown. Based on an investigation from Central’s Investigations Team, a photo bulletin was sent out to police; the officers were able to nab the suspect and bring them into custody.
And now for your weekly crime roundup, culled from the SFPD's reports.
Barricaded robbery suspect causes standoff with police
Last week, we reported on the biggest news from the northeast neighborhoods: a hot prowl robbery suspect barricaded himself in a residence on the 900 block of Pacific Avenue in Chinatown on June 3rd at 9:30am. The suspect was eventually apprehended after an hours-long standoff and was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Six police officers also suffered minor injuries while pursuing the suspect, and were taken to a hospital.
Man causes altercation, gets stabbed in the neck
On Pier 5 at 11pm on June 3rd in the Embarcadero, a man, 29, was walking with friends when he got into a verbal altercation with a passerby, a man in his late 20s. When the man and his friends told the passerby to leave them alone, the passerby persisted, touching the man's female friend. Once he turned away, the man stabbed the passerby in the back of the neck and fled the scene. The victim suffered a stab wound and was transported to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Sidewalk kiosk set on fire
Fire fighters responded to a sidewalk kiosk that had been set on fire in the FiDi on June 4th at 6am. There are no suspects, but the kiosk sustained moderate fire damage inside. An arson investigator was on the scene.
Hot prowl burglary occurs while woman sleeps
It seems that there's been an uptick in hot prowl burglaries in District 3 as of late. On June 4th at 7:30pm, on the 300 block of Green Street in North Beach, a woman, 54, woke up and noticed her patio door was ajar and that her purse, containing her wallet, cash and identification, was missing. There is no suspect information.
Man scales drain pipe in attempted burglary
Another hot prowl burglary attempt occurred on the 1400 block of Leavenworth Street in Nob Hill at 8:51am on June 4th. A woman, 33, opened her bedroom drapes and saw a man in his 30s scaling a drain pipe on the side of her building, a foot away from her bathroom window. She closed her drapes and called police. There was no loss, and the suspect left handprints inside the victim's window.
Two victims robbed of cash and cameras while walking
A woman and a man, 48 and 47, were walking on the 1200 block of Filbert Street in Russian Hill at 8pm on June 4th when a suspect, 20s, pushed the woman to the ground and took her camera and backpack. Another suspect in his 20s took the man's camera and punched him in the chest. Both suspects fled in a white sedan. One of the victims suffered a minor cut to the hand; the stolen items included their passports, four cameras, cash and credit cards, along with the backpack.
Unlocked sliding door leads to loss of property
At some point between 11:30pm on June 4th and 9am on June 5th, another hot prowl burglary occurred on the 2300 block of Hyde Street in Russian Hill. The two victims, a man, 31, and a woman, 32, went to bed with their sliding glass door unlocked. When they awoke in the morning, they noticed that three laptops, a laptop bag, headphones, a watch and credit cards had been stolen.
Man thrown off Pier 27
A 69-year-old man was pushed from behind and thrown into the water off of Pier 27 on June 5th at 11:45am. The suspect is a 27-year-old male. The victim was unable to swim, but was pulled out of the water by a witness near the scene. The man suffered from hypothermia and was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Responding police officers were able to locate the suspect, and he was taken into custody.
Man loses cash in gun robbery
A man, 35, was approached by a suspect in his 30s on the 200 block of Bush Street in the FiDi at 7pm on June 6th. The suspect told the victim that he had a gun, and demanded his money. The victim complied and the suspect fled the scene on foot.
Gun pulled on woman leads to loss of backpack
A woman, 64, was attempting to enter her apartment on the 900 block of Grant Avenue in the FiDi June 7th at 1:03am, when a 25-year-old suspect approached her and pulled out a handgun. He demanded her property and she complied. She lost her backpack, containing money and her cell phone. The suspect fled the scene on foot.
Woman burgled while sleeping
In yet another hot prowl burglary, a woman, 40, had items stolen while sleeping in her home on the 900 block of North Point Street in Fisherman's Wharf, just after midnight on June 8th. A man of an unknown age entered her residence and stole her wallet (containing credit cards), her car keys, and a laptop bag with her computer. He then fled the scene.
Man robbed of his belongings at gunpoint
A 25-year-old man was walking near the corner of Stockton and Clay streets in Chinatown on June 8th at 4:35am, when a man between the age of 20 and 25 approached him from behind. When the victim turned around, he saw the suspect pointing a handgun at him, demanding his belongings. He handed over his backpack, wallet, cell phone and headphones. The suspect then fled the scene.
Woman pushed, suspect snatches purse
On June 8th at 8:30pm, a woman, 31, was approached from behind by an unknown suspect near Union Square and was pushed to the ground. The suspect then snatched her purse and fled on foot in an unknown direction.
