FiDi/North Beach crime: Car sale leads to gunpoint robbery, robber throws man from wheelchair, morePhoto: Jared Erondu/Unsplash
Nathan Falstreau
Published on May 07, 2019

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

Man arrested for assaulting a woman

On May 5 at 2:05 a.m., a 41-year-old man was arrested for assaulting a 26-year-old woman on the 400 block of North Point Street (between Mason and Taylor streets) in Fisherman's Wharf. 

According to police reports, the suspect and the victim were inside a building when they got into an argument. The suspect then pushed the woman out of the room and hit her multiple times. Officers were able to locate the suspect and took him into custody. The victim was transported to a hospital for treatment of her non-life-threatening injuries. 

Man punched in the face during argument

Another assault occurred on May 4 at 8:15 p.m. near the corner of Davis and California streets in the FiDi.

The victim, a 48-year-old man, was arguing with an unknown male suspect, 35-40, who punched him in the face. The suspect then fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Man stabbed in unprovoked attack

A 60-year-old man was stabbed in what appears to be an unprovoked attack near the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Mason Street in North Beach on May 3 at 10:40 a.m. 

According to police, an unknown male suspect approached the victim from behind and stabbed him in the lower back before fleeing the scene. The victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

Teen arrested for robbery near Union Square

On May 3 at 7:34 p.m., a teen was arrested after stealing a woman's phone at the corner of Geary and Stockton streets, near Union Square.

According to police, the suspect, a 17-year-old boy, grabbed the 28-year-old woman's phone before fleeing on foot. The victim chased and caught up with the robber, who then struck her and continued to run. Police officers in the area were able to locate the suspect and place him in custody. The victim was not seriously injured, and her stolen cell phone was retrieved. 

2 teens attack man in unprovoked incident

Two teens were arrested for an unprovoked assault on May 2 at 1:29 a.m. near the corner of Commercial and Leidesdorff streets in the FiDi. 

The victim, a 56-year-old man, was allegedly attacked without provocation by the two male suspects, 16 and 17. After police found him lying on the sidewalk, he was transported to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Officers then located the suspects and placed them under arrest. No items appear to have been stolen in the incident. 

Suspects robbed at gunpoint in car sale gone bad

Two men were robbed after attempting to purchase a car on the 2000 block of the Embarcadero (at Market Street) on April 30 at 8:30 p.m.

The two male victims, 28 and 29, met up with two of the male suspects, 20 and 25, to purchase the vehicle. One of the suspects then pointed a gun at the victims and demanded their cash. The 29-year-old victim handed over his money, and the two suspects fled the scene in the car with a third suspect, a 20-year-old woman. No arrests or injuries were reported. 

Suspect pushes man out of wheelchair, takes his belongings

On April 25 at 4 p.m., a 51-year-old disabled man was robbed near the intersection of Hyde and Pine streets in Lower Nob Hill. 

According to police, the suspect, a 61-year-old man, "toppled the victim's wheelchair" and then kicked him. The suspect then stole the victim's backpack and hat before fleeing the scene. The victim was taken to an area hospital for treatment of his non-life-threatening injuries. 

Hot prowler thwarted by victims' screams

An attempted hot prowl burglary occurred on the 100 block of Reed Street (between Jones and Leavenworth) in Nob Hill on April 25 at 2:10 p.m.

A woman, 31, and a man, 32, were at home when they spotted a man, 25-30, climbing through their bedroom window. The victims screamed, and the suspect fell onto the street and fled the scene. No arrests or injuries were reported. 

Two suspects rob man at gunpoint

A 46-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint on April 24 at 10:12 p.m., near the intersection of Sansome and Green streets in North Beach. 

According to police, two male suspects in their early 30s got out of an unknown vehicle and assaulted the victim. They then took his camera and some documents he had on his person. The victim was injured during the incident, but it's not clear from the report if he was transported for treatment. 

Quartet of teens arrested for stealing woman's phone

On April 23 at 6:55 p.m., four teens were arrested after stealing a phone at the corner of Stockton and Bush streets, near Union Square.

According to police, one of the four teens, all aged 15-17, tried to grab the phone from the hands of the victim, a 24-year-old woman's phone from her hand. The victim fell to the ground, and one of the suspects threatened her before all four fled the scene. Officers were later able to locate the teens and take them into custody. The victim was injured in the incident, but it's not clear from reports if she sought treatment. 


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.