Two pedestrians were injured, one critically, after being struck by a teen driver at Haight and Ashbury streets last night. The driver, who fled the scene, was later arrested by police.
The incident occurred last night around 9:15 p.m., when the driver, identified as 18-year-old Case Estorco of Patterson, CA, allegedly steered his vehicle onto the sidewalk, striking the two pedestrians.
Both victims were young men; according to KTVU, both were also homeless. One of the men, in his 30s, sustained life-threatening injuries, while the other, in his 20s, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. (According to District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston, the older victim is now in stable condition after undergoing surgery.)
Estorco fled the scene, but was found later that night, after officers responded to a report of shots fired near Crown Terrace and Twin Peaks Boulevard. After the officers located Estorco's vehicle, an SFPD representative said, Estorco then purposely collided with their marked patrol car.
Estorco, who was allegedly intoxicated during the incident, sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the collision. His passenger, an 18-year-old woman, was uninjured, as were the officers in the patrol car.
Estorco has been booked at San Francisco County Jail on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, battery on a peace officer, driving under the influence, hit-and-run, battery causing serious bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon. The woman in his car was released.
The intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets has already been under close watch by locals, after musician Tad Crane, 24, was shot by an off-duty FBI agent there on February 8.
Politicians and neighbors alike have railed against the FBI's lack of transparency in the case, whose federal investigative status has made it difficult for locals to obtain even basic information. Preston highlighted those concerns in tweets to constituents:
This incident happened just weeks after the shooting at Haight and Ashbury, which has rocked our community. We will be providing updates as we learn more about what happened in our neighborhood last night.
— Dean Preston (@DeanPreston) February 25, 2020
The intersection of Haight and Ashbury is also identified as a high-injury corridor under the city's Vision Zero plan, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2024.
Anyone who has information about this hit-and-run 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.
