A chaotic scene on Saturday evening in the Castro, which thankfully did not leave anyone killed or seriously wounded, appears to have been the work of armed, juvenile suspects who remain at large.
A car careening off a 50-foot hill over the Sanchez Street steps, mowing down a tree, flipping over, and landing on its roof, appears to have been the work of a crew of car thieves, at least some of whom were juveniles. Since video of the incident first appeared on Sunday, more witness statements have come along, though the SFPD has not yet made any public reports.
"It’s an insane set of events," says Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, speaking to the Chronicle Monday. “I sincerely hope that we’re able to identify these folks because they did a fair amount of damage."
Mandelman added that, per the SFPD, witnesses saw five occupants get out of the car after it landed, some likely juveniles. A separate SFPD report said there was a carjacking incident at 19th and Dolores streets Saturday around the time of this crash, near 7:30 p.m. and that appears connected. The suspects in the carjacking were described as three males and two females.
Other witnesses and footage from the incident seen on KPIX describe a red-headed woman who may have been the driver. Witnesses also said the owner of the car, who was allegedly clocked in the head with a gun or other weapon, followed the path of the car and spoke to people at the scene after the crash, saying this was his car.
If that's the case, it looks like the crew didn't know this area too well, and as they fled from their victim, they hit an immediate dead end that they thought they could plow through — but it was a cliff.
Multiple witnesses seem to say that they heard the woman, who also kept repeating "I'm sorry," and "We gotta go," told her friends in the car that they had three minutes to get out of there before police arrived.
One witness described seeing Tasers fall out of the car, and another said the saw alcohol bottles. ABC 7 also reported on the mural artist who had only recently been working on the rainbow-colored mural that "spills" down the Sanchez steps. The mural appears to have been minorly damaged and the artist said he had only recently been at work and could have been killed himself.
No arrests have reportedly been made, and any witnesses or anyone with pertinent surveillance footage should contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444.
Previously: Video: Car Flies Over Sanchez Street Stairs, Lands On Roof, Occupants Flee
