A grim animal cruelty case in San Francisco ended with a rooftop arrest this week, after police say a 33-year-old man from Reno tried to escape onto the top of a hotel while officers moved in to take him into custody. The arrest is tied to an alleged animal-abuse incident earlier this month, when a kitten was reportedly attacked and later found dead inside an ATM vestibule on Market Street. Firefighters ultimately helped officers get the suspect down from the roof, and he was booked into county jail, authorities said.
Police say SFACC led the probe
According to San Francisco Police Department officials, San Francisco Animal Care and Control contacted officers in early July after an investigation showed a man had entered an ATM vestibule on the 1800 block of Market Street with a small kitten and later left with the animal’s body. The release states the suspect "proceeded to violently torture the animal to death." SFACC obtained a warrant that led investigators to identify the suspect as 33-year-old William Ohlson of Reno, Nevada.
How officers say they caught him
Officers with the Drug Market Agency Coordination Center and the Real Time Investigation Center tracked Ohlson to a hotel on the 100 block of Fell Street and served a search warrant on Tuesday, as reported by KTVU. During the operation, an RTIC drone operator informed officers that the man had fled onto a rooftop, and the San Francisco Fire Department used a truck and ladder to help safely apprehend him, according to KTVU.
Charges and legal context
San Francisco Police Department officials said Ohlson was booked into San Francisco County Jail No. 1 on suspicion of animal abuse and neglect under Penal Code 597(b) and resisting or delaying arrest under Penal Code 148(a)(1). Under California law, California Legislature records show that Penal Code 597 criminalizes maiming, torturing or killing animals and can be prosecuted as a felony or a misdemeanor. California Legislature records also state that Penal Code 148(a)(1) covers willfully resisting or obstructing a public officer.
Investigation remains active
Police said the arrest grew out of close collaboration between SFACC, SFPD, the Reno Police Department and the San Francisco Fire Department. The department listed the case number as 260-387-484 and asked anyone with information to call 1-415-575-4444 or text TIP411, starting the message with "SFPD."
