It appears the crowds on Polk Street Saturday night were excited/drunk/angry (who can tell with these things) in anticipation of the Super Bowl, despite the fact that no Bay Area team was involved. Multiple people in the area tweeted about crowds in the streets, with video showing police on the scene and one person referring to it as a "riot," and Hoodline subsequently picked up the story.
Riot on Polk St in SF ?
— U hungry?I could eat (@eja003) February 7, 2016
Video shows people dancing on cars and running through the streets before police arrive.
Last night was crazy to say the least pic.twitter.com/9pBEOreDJZ
— Jessiba Ramirez (@jramirez10_) February 7, 2016
A witness to the events, albeit from his apartment window, wrote in to Hoodline to recount what he saw.
"I did not go out and that was just what I could see from my building," writes the man identified as Chris. "I heard this morning that it was a 3-wheeled motorcycle vehicle that was burning and that it was parked in front of Quetzal before being set on fire. The circumstances fit that scenario, but this information is unverified.
"I have no other details and any other comments on what led to last nights disturbance, etc. would be speculation," Chris continues. "I will say based on observation though, the Police moved in about 20 minutes after it started. From the siren sounds and the way they responded in force, it appeared they spent some time staging and preparing to confront the crowd."
Were you one of the people dancing on cars on Saturday? Hit us up at [email protected] and help us explain the reasons behind your rioting ways.
@abc7newsBayArea @NBCNews some sort of riot going on at polk & bish st in San Francisco pic.twitter.com/BNi9y9iunZ
— christine nycz (@christinenycz) February 7, 2016
@abc7newsBayArea @NBCNews #sanfrancisco riot... something on Polk Street on fire... pic.twitter.com/0R19RAKwGf
— christine nycz (@christinenycz) February 7, 2016
Update: Hoodline got a little more information, via a tipster, as to what could have sparked Saturday night's "riot."
It apparently all began with "a group of 20 or so guys yelling anti-police statements and seeming to incite the curious onlookers who were coming out of the bars," the tipster told the publication. "It seemed like the energy had a snowball effect, and more and more people joined them in the street. [...]
"From my perspective, it seemed more spontaneous than anything, although the cops arriving so quickly and having all their gear makes me think otherwise," continued the tipster. "I did hear that Twitter was being monitored, because of the Super Bowl. Maybe that's how they knew, if it was planned. But that's pure speculation!"
Related: Rioters 'Celebrating' The SF Giants' World Series Win Trashed 28 Muni Vehicles This Year