A man was detained Thursday evening after a shooting in North Beach that left a bullet hole in the window of a Muni 30 bus, San Francisco police say. The confrontation unfolded near Union and Powell streets around 6:15 p.m., and officers arrived to find the man already held by bystanders.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, bystanders told San Francisco police that the detained man had fired a gun during what began as a verbal altercation. The victim told officers the argument escalated when the suspect shot at him, though no one was struck by gunfire and the shooting caused no reported injuries, per the same report. Police were still investigating at the scene as of 7 p.m., the Chronicle noted.
Bullet Hole Found in Bus Window Near Washington Square
The Muni 30 bus tied to the incident appeared to have a bullet hole in one of its windows, and it was later found behind crime scene tape, surrounded by police, at a stop near Washington Square. Officers have not said whether anyone was aboard the bus when the gunfire occurred. Police said they were not releasing further details because the investigation remains active and ongoing, and they asked anyone with information to call the department at 415-575-4444.
North Beach Has Seen Gun Violence Before
Thursday's shooting adds to a string of gun violence that has periodically hit the North Beach neighborhood in recent years. In a separate incident, a man suffered life-threatening injuries after officers responded to Vandewater and Powell streets around 2:22 a.m. Thursday and found him with an apparent gunshot wound, according to sfchronicle.com. No arrests had been made in that case, police said at the time.
An earlier North Beach shooting near Grant and Columbus avenues drew conflicting accounts of its toll: sfchronicle.com reported the April 2023 shooting killed one person and injured two others, while nbcbayarea.com reported that one person died and four others were injured in the incident, which it said occurred around 11 p.m. on the 1200 block of Grant Avenue. San Francisco prosecutors went on to file murder charges against four suspects in July 2023 in connection with that shooting, per sfchronicle.com. A suspect was also arrested in a related case and booked on homicide, attempted-homicide, robbery, conspiracy, firearm-possession and gang-enhancement charges, according to NBC Bay Area.
Muni Vehicles Have Been Targeted Before
Thursday's bus damage echoes a January 2025 shooting near Fourth and Berry streets, when a Muni bus carrying 15 to 20 passengers was targeted and no one was hurt. A bullet passed through the bus windshield and struck an empty passenger seat, according to sfstandard.com. Officers in that case arrested 58-year-old Adolph Patrick Greene of Oakland on suspicion of firearms-related charges, malicious mischief, destroying or concealing evidence, and possession of drug paraphernalia, the outlet reported.
In the wake of that incident, an SFMTA spokesperson said crime on Muni is down 48% since 2018 and that each bus is equipped with at least 11 cameras that are continually recording, per the same report. San Francisco police have not released the identity of the man detained Thursday or said what charges, if any, he may face.
