SFPD stated Friday that a thirty-something-year-old man was arrested in relation to an earlier kidnapping and attempted rape of a local elderly woman in SF's Inner Sunset neighborhood.
Although the pandemic has lowered the number of reported violent crimes in SF since March, incidences of attempted kidnapping, rape, and other like-criminal acts are still much higher than they were just eight years ago. Last month, for example, a 73-year-old woman — who remains unidentified — was subjected to kidnapping and attempted rape by one 34-year-old Daniel Williams.
#sfpd @SFPDPark arrest S in Kidnapping and an Att Rape of an Elderly Woman. At approx 6:50 AM, a 73-year-old woman was the victim multiple felonies including Attempted Rape. The victim was on the 1300 block of 7th Ave when she was attacked by Susp 34 Y/O Daniel Williams. pic.twitter.com/SgeV7ydwB1
— R. Vaswani (@sfvas) October 3, 2020
Though the time of the assault is unclear, KPIX reports that the September 22 incident transpired at the 1300 block of 7th Avenue — an otherwise sleepy, mellow area just a block from the Golden Gate Park.
SFPD officers responded to a report of a person sifting through trash in the area and on-site police later learned that Williams had tried to rape the unidentified victim.
The local news outlet states that Williams ran away from the scene once he was confronted by law enforcement, but officers soon chased him down and took him into custody. Investigators involved with the case soon determined Williams had also committed additional crimes against the victim, and he was promptly charged with "aggravated kidnapping, assault, elder abuse, sexual battery, false imprisonment, and providing false identification to police."
The kidnapping and attempted rape of this elderly woman comes at a time where local incidences of domestic violence have surged in the Bay Area. Social workers and those familiar with this type of criminal activity cite the insular habits many have adopted becuase of shelter-in-place and social distancing; people who've been subjected to abuse — be it domestic violence or civil harassment — are struggling to reach out.
Individuals with any information on the aforementioned crimes Willams participated in are suggested to call SFPD's 24 Hour Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to "TIP411" and begin that message with "SFPD."
Elderly San Francisco Woman Assaulted and Robbed In Home Invasion
Image: Google Maps
