Yesterday in San Francisco went from routine to chaotic in seconds after a police pursuit ended in a violent collision at South Van Ness Avenue and 14th Street, sending debris into a fire hydrant and a nearby car dealership. The crash happened just after 8 PM, when a pickup truck being chased by police slammed into another occupied car at the intersection.
San Francisco Fire Department crews treated nine people at the scene. Two were reported in critical condition, six suffered minor to moderate injuries, and one person declined hospital transport. Officers detained the pickup’s driver and four other occupants, and the investigation remains active.
How police describe the chase
According to ABC7 San Francisco, San Francisco police officers first spotted the pickup driving erratically near Guerrero and 19th streets and tried to pull it over. The department said the suspect vehicle “failed to yield and continued driving with a willful and wanton disregard for the safety of the public.”
The chase ended when the pickup crashed into another occupied car at South Van Ness and 14th. That second vehicle then hit a fire hydrant and a nearby car dealership. ABC7 San Francisco reports the San Francisco Fire Department confirmed a total of nine injuries between the two vehicles.
What policy says about pursuits
Under the San Francisco Police Department’s pursuit rules, outlined in San Francisco Police Department policy 5.05, officers and supervisors are supposed to weigh the urgency of catching a suspect against the danger a chase creates for the public and for officers. The policy instructs police to call off a pursuit when that danger becomes unreasonable.
The order also requires officers to use lights and sirens during emergency responses and directs them to notify supervisors immediately if a third party is hit during a chase.
Van Ness safety and past crashes
South Van Ness is part of the city’s “high-injury network,” a label traffic-safety advocates say flags streets where people are disproportionately hurt or killed on the road, according to Walk San Francisco. These wide, fast corridors are the ones safety groups watch most closely, in part because when something goes wrong, it tends to go very wrong.
The San Francisco Chronicle has previously detailed community outrage after a different police pursuit ended with a car crashing into a Mission District parklet and injuring bystanders, a case that reignited debate over chase policies. Advocates and some city officials argue that aggressive pursuits combined with fast-moving arterial streets heighten the risk for people who have nothing to do with the original incident.
What’s next
Police say charges are pending against the detained occupants, and investigators are working to reconstruct the chase. Anyone with information is asked to contact SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text TIP411 with the keyword “SFPD,” according to ABC7 San Francisco.
City crews stayed at the intersection to clear hazards, and San Francisco Fire Department personnel continued treating patients before they were either transported to hospitals or declined further care as officials pressed on with their inquiries.
