The man shot by police while resisting arrest and driving a stolen silver BMW on Tuesday night in the Bayview district might have been involved in recent armed robberies in which a shotgun was used.
The suspect was cornered by police in a cul-de-sac. Rather than surrendering to police, he reportedly put the car in reverse and struck an officer and patrol car. Two officers opened fire, injuring the man. He was then hospitalized.
Police on Wednesday said investigators are looking into the recent crimes’ similarities to see if there is any connection. Police said Wednesday that they will hold a town hall meeting at City College of San Francisco’s southeastern campus Thursday at 6 to further discuss the incident.
There were two shotgun-related robberies Tuesday. The first occurred about 4 a.m. in the 700 block of Geneva Avenue. In that incident, a man and woman were approached by two young men, police said. The thugs grabbed the woman’s purse and knocked her to the ground, police said. One of the suspects pulled out a shotgun, racked a round and told the man to get back. The suspects then fled.
The pair in that robbery matched the description of suspects in at least two other recent incidents.
On Monday, a 36-year-old man washing his car in the Sunset district was held up by a shotgun-wielding teen and another suspect, police said. The crooks reportedly rummaged around in the victim’s garage, but fled when they noticed a neighbor making a phone call to police.
Last Friday, the comic book store Comix Experience on Divisadero Street was robbed by two young men, according to the blog Haighteration.com. One of the suspects had what the clerk thought was a shotgun and demanded cash and an iPhone. It was the store’s first robbery in its 23-year history, the blog reported.
The second shotgun-related robbery Tuesday was at Quesada Avenue and Newhall Street in the Bayview, police said. In that incident, a woman walking toward a bus stop was robbed by a man who got out of a silver sedan, brandished a shotgun and demanded her property. She complied and the crook fled with an accomplice.
The suspect descriptions match those in two attempted robberies in the Civic Center area Monday, police said. In those incidents, two young men, one of which was armed with a shotgun, held up two different men in the 1100 block of Market Street and demanded their property. However, both victims were able to flee unscathed and the suspects did not pursue them.
