Police are investigating an Embarcadero-area mugging as a hate crime, after a robbery suspect allegedly used a racial slur against the victim before threatening her at knifepoint.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, the incident occurred at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, on the 100 block of Broadway, which is between Battery and Front Streets.
Police say that three people — two women and a man, all in their 20s — approached the 20-year-old female victim as she walked on the sidewalk.
One of the women who approached the victim "made racial statements toward" her, police say (the SFPD report on the incident describes all three suspects as Black, and identifies the victim as Hispanic). That same suspect "then pull[ed] a knife and pointed it at" the victim, police say, telling her to hand over her cell phone.
As the victim pulled her cell phone from her pocket, police say that that gesture also caused some cash she had in that pocket to fall out.
The suspect took the phone and cash and fled on foot, accompanied by her two associates. According to the SFPD, they are investigating the mugging as a hate crime, and confirm that as of Thursday morning, the trio remain at large. As always, anyone with any information on this case (or any other crimes) is urged to call SFPD's Anonymous Tip Line at 415-575-4444 or to text a tip to Tip411 with SFPD at the beginning of the message.