In an apparent holiday gift to a local news ecosystem that might not have made enough cracks about naughtiness or niceness, watching out and not crying, etc, the San Francisco Police Department has released photos of a man they say used the mayhem surrounding Saturday's Santacon goofiness as cover to rob a downtown bank.
In what sounds like the plot to a heist film (as my esteemed colleague referred to the crime earlier this week), at 1:08 p.m. on Saturday, December 13, a man walked into a bank on the 400 block of Sutter Street (which is between Powell and Stockton Streets) dressed as Santa Claus.
Ordinarily, a person entering a bank in costume would raise suspicions, but this Saturday was Santacon, the Union Square-centered event during which hundreds of people dress up like Santa to run around and get wasted.
This guy had a different plan, however. As opposed to just withdrawing cash so he could pub crawl then barf in an Uber, this faux-Santa, described by SFPD spokesperson Sergeant Monica MacDonald "a white male approximately 40-50 years old, 6 feet tall" presented the bank's teller with a note demanding cash, and "said he had a gun, although no gun was seen."
Once he got the cash (a nice thick wad of it, if the photo below is any indication) the man fled the bank on foot, MacDonald says. He's been on the loose every since, likely now dressed like a normal person.
Police have been unsuccessful in tracking down the suspect, so Thursday afternoon SFPD released photos of the man, in hopes that the public will help them find him. Hey, it was that or sit on Santa's lap to ask for leads!
Though the thief was, as you can see, dressed in full Santa get-up (including that beard), SFPD is hopeful that one of you will recognize this man and contact police anonymously by calling (415) 392-2623 or by text to 847411 with "SFPD" in the text field followed by the message. If you recognize him and say nothing? Enjoy your lump of coal!
