Fire Dept on the scene pic.twitter.com/vXzCxHsJXL
— Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) October 30, 2014
Well, it happened again, guys. As on the evenings of the SF Giants' 2010 and 2012 victories, chaos overtook some celebrations, with vandalism, injury, and arrests as a result. The San Francisco Police Department is still tallying up the damage and detentions, but here's what we know so far:
Multiple people got shot
SFPD spokesperson Officer Gordon Shyy confirms what we reported last night: at least two people were shot during last night's revelry/rioting: At about 8:45 p.m., a man was shot in the arm at 21st and Valencia. A second shooting victim walked into San Francisco General Hospital later that night and said he was also shot during the street celebration. Both injuries are not considered life-threatening. The suspect(s) remain at large at publication time, Shyy says.
SFPD officers were assaulted and injured
Shyy says that "reports of police using tear gas on the crowds are false," but that "SFPD police personnel were assaulted with bottles on Market Street and (in the) Mission district. Officers in the Southern district were also struck with bottles, firecrackers and M80s. These objects were thrown at officers as they attempted to disperse crowds and assist firefighters in extinguishing bonfires. Multiple officers suffered minor injuries. One officer was taken to SFGH for their injuries."
Due to safety concerns, all bus srv is are being suspended. All service vehicles will be pulling in. #Subwaysvc will continue to run.
— SFMTA (@sfmta_muni) October 30, 2014
At least one Muni bus was reportedly vandalized before the SFMTA closed down surface service:
Mayhem on Market St. pic.twitter.com/Io591JFzR8
— Scott Austin (@ScottMAustin) October 30, 2014
Riot gear is out after bus gets destroyed. pic.twitter.com/fQ1034NVdn
— Scott Austin (@ScottMAustin) October 30, 2014
And tech shuttles didn't escape unscathed:
Watched a mob of people converge on this tech bus, throw glass bottles at it, and tag it, yelling "fuck Google." pic.twitter.com/gmIZ6wHygi
— Joe Veix (@joeveix) October 30, 2014
Annnnndddd that's it pic.twitter.com/DTWKeNzQxw
— Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) October 30, 2014
Things got nuts near AT&T Park
As we noted last night, the SF Chronicle breathlessly reported that Third Street was ground zero, at least for a bit, last night:
The most raucous area was Third and King streets, where thousands of fans sprayed sparkling wine and beer on one another, smashed bottles, lit fires and set off fireworks, prompting police in riot gear to move in and set up a perimeter. The crowd, which included several small children riding on their parents’ shoulders, huddled close as several people swung burning shirts over their heads, waved Giants flags above the fire and chanted obscenities.Fistfights broke out, and at one point someone threw a large mortar-style firework into a bonfire and it exploded, forcing people to jump back and take cover.
Shortly after 11 p.m., helmeted cops lined up three rows deep, prompting drunken rowdies to begin hurling bottles, some shattering on the street and others hitting officers.
Manny and Michelle Gomez held their sleeping 2-year-old daughter Analise as chaos broke out around them.
“We drove down to join in the celebration, but we're definitely keeping our distance to stay safe,” said Michelle, who seemed shellshocked. “We can have fun, but sometimes there's a limit.”
Justin Crisostomo and his fiancée Christina Wong stood a short distance from the mob on King Street.
“We're worried about the glass,” Crisostomo said as a fight broke out right next to him. “That's a little troubling.”
By 11:30 p.m., police formed a skirmish line and scattered the bottle-slinging rioters.
At least one person was stabbed
A man was transported to SF General suffering from multiple stab wounds he received during the melee at 24th and Valencia Streets, Shyy says. His injuries are considered serious.
SFPD Chief Greg Suhr took matters into his own hands
From the Chron: "At one point, Police Chief Greg Suhr had to defuse a tense situation himself. He confronted a dozen kids hanging onto a car on Market Street swearing at “pigs” and ordered them to shut off the music and leave or they would be arrested."
At least one SFPD car was trashed
Cop car wrecked #mission #sf #riot #giants pic.twitter.com/puQsIhckZk
— karissa mckelvey (@karissamck) October 30, 2014
People vandalized and set all sorts of shit on fire in the Mission
Mission Local liveblogged nearly every moment of the destruction in the Mission, describing it as "like a war zone." There were multiple "bonfires" and smashings (many of which were tweeted by Kevin Montgomery) like this couch:
There’s a guy with a torch desperately trying to light a couch on fire while the crowd chants “Burn it! Burn it!” pic.twitter.com/zUrBnK62D2
— Kale Williams (@sfkale) October 30, 2014
And the selfies with the couch on fire begin pic.twitter.com/fLOOuybcGZ
— Mission Local (@MLNow) October 30, 2014
...and riot-gear clad police were sent to the area to try to shut things down. It's unclear from this report how successful the police were, or if the vandals eventually just ran out of steam.
According to Shyy, the worst of the carousing had ceased by 1:30 a.m. Chief Suhr is expected to give a press conference addressing last night's incidents later this morning, and SFPD promises a full accounting of arrests at some point today.
Previously: Two Wounded By Gunshots In Mission, And Chaos Reigns Again Near Ballpark In Post-World Series Celebrations
Tech Shuttle Vandalized During Post-Game Celebrations; Another Got Stuck Due To Toilet Paper Cleanup Effort