FiDi/North Beach crime: Man attacked with baseball bat, victim pepper sprayed and robbed, morePhoto: rainwiz/Flickr
Nathan Falstreau
Published on October 22, 2018

Here are some notable incidents that have taken place in SFPD's Central District since our last biweekly recap. The district encompasses Chinatown, Financial District, Embarcadero, Russian, Telegraph and Nob Hills, North Beach and Union Square. 

Unless otherwise noted, all reports are drawn from the department's daily crime recaps.

1 seriously injured in officer-involved shooting at Aquatic Park

One unidentified person suffered life-threatening injuries in a shooting involving a federal officer at Aquatic Park, October 16 at 9:31 p.m.

Central Station officers responded to the call of shots fired. One unidentified person was transported to a hospital in life-threatening condition, and later detained, while another was detained at the scene. Here is our full coverage of the incident.

Man arrested for stealing victim's backpack

On October 18 at 2 p.m., a 36-year-old man was arrested for a robbery that occurred near the intersection of Clay and Drumm streets in the FiDi. 

According to police, the victim, a 26-year-old man, was parking his car in the area when the suspect opened the vehicle door and snatched his backpack. 

Officers located the suspect and took him into custody. 

Man arrested for hitting victim with baseball bat

At 3:45 a.m. October 16 at the Ferry Building, a 30-year-old man was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries after being hit with a baseball bat. 

The attacker, a 42-year-old man, hit the victim with the bat in what appears to be an unprovoked incident. Officers arrived at the scene and were able to take the suspect into custody.

Man surrenders belongings to suspect in robbery

In Lower Nob Hill, near the corner of Sutter and Taylor streets, a 35-year-old man was robbed at 2:35 a.m. October 14.

According to police, a 25-year-old male suspect approached the victim. Believing that the suspect had a gun, the victim then handed his shoes and backpack to the suspect.

No arrest has been made.

Victim hospitalized after being punched by suspect

A 27-year-old man was attacked on the 500 block of Broadway in North Beach October 14 at 2:15 a.m. 

A male suspect, 30, punched the victim and he fell to the ground. The victim was transported to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. 

No arrests have been made.

Suspect arrested after punching and robbing victim

A 50-year-old man was punched and robbed at 1:10 a.m. October 13 on the 100 block of Drumm Street in the FiDi.

After the 22-year-old male suspect hit the victim, he took his cell phone and fled, but was later located and arrested by police. 

The victim suffered minor injuries, which were treated at the scene.

Man pepper sprayed after trying to stop a fight

Also on the 100 block of Drumm Street in the FiDi, an assault occurred at 9 p.m. October 12.

According to police, a 35-year-old man was hitting an unknown person in the area. A 22-year-old man attempted to intervene, and the suspect pepper sprayed him. 

The victim was treated at the scene for minor injuries and was released. No arrests have been made. 

Woman injured in cell phone robbery

A 30-year-old woman was robbed at 7 p.m. October 11 in North Beach, near the corner of Powell and Northpoint streets.

Two male suspects in their 20s approached the victim from behind and snatched her cell phone before fleeing the scene.

The woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the incident, and no arrests were made.

Four women arrested after robbing two men

At 1:20 a.m. on October 11, police arrested four women suspected of robbing two men on the 200 block of Powell Street in Union Square.

The two men were approached by the suspects, who took the victims' cellphone and wallet before leaving the scene. 

One of the victims suffered a cut to the forehead but refused medical treatment. Officers were able to locate the suspects and take them into custody.

Man pepper sprayed and robbed of his laptop

Finally, on the 1500 block of Hyde Street in Nob Hill October 9 at 12:54 p.m., a 34-year-old man was robbed. 

The victim was in front of a restaurant working on his laptop, when a man in his 30s tapped him on his shoulder and attempted to purloin his laptop. The suspect then pepper sprayed and hit the victim. 

The suspect fled with the laptop on his bicycle. The victim suffered minor injuries but refused transport for treatment. No arrests have been made.


Anyone who has information about any of these incidents is encouraged to contact SFPD via the department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444, or text TIP411 with "SFPD" at the start of the message.

Here’s why we usually don’t include suspect descriptions in crime reports.