Super Bowl Sunday in San Francisco's Mission District turned grim as a police chase ended with a vehicle crashing into Napper Tandy's parklet, resulting in six people hospitalized, including a mother and a child. Hoodline reports the ordeal started near Stonestown Galleria around 3:05 p.m. when officers responding to a reported burglary attempted to stop a wanted Audi Q7.
After failing to comply, the suspects initiated the chase, ultimately losing control at the corner of 24th Street and South Van Ness Avenue, sending bystanders to the hospital and causing significant damage. A light pole and parklet infrastructure were also damaged in a pursuit covering several blocks, as mentioned in the Hoodline's coverage.
Addressing the incident, Supervisor Jackie Fielder issued a Letter of Inquiry, seeking transparency about SFPD's decision-making in the chase. The publicized letter demands answers about the possibility of alternative actions that might have prevented bystander injuries and clarity on accountability mechanisms. Furthermore, Fielder has contacted city officials to ensure the impacted individuals receive needed resources.
Today I issued Letter of Inquiry into the dangerous San Francisco police chase that sent 6 people, including a mother and child, to the hospital, resulted in two car crashes, and destroyed a parklet on Super Bowl Sunday (1/6) pic.twitter.com/mSBgfOI2uZ
— Jackie Fielder (@JackieFielder_) February 12, 2025
Fielder's action draws attention to a broader issue regarding SFPD's vehicle pursuit policy, especially after a ballot measure authored by former Mayor London Breed in March 2024 was passed, which broadened the SFPD's discretion for vehicle chases. This ballot measure has been a point of contention as it contradicts the recommendations of a 2023 U.S. Department of Justice report that advised police departments to restrict pursuits to cases that involve violent crimes and immediate threats, as per the information shared in Fielder's social media post.
