An SFPD officer responding to a report of a car break-in was injured Wednesday night when the suspects' getaway car dragged him down the street.

Taraval Station Officer Jeff Chen responded to a call about an auto burglary around 2 a.m. Wednesday at 43rd Avenue and Irving Street. Sunset District Supervisor Joel Engardio reports that in trying to stop the thieves, Chen was dragged by the getaway vehicle. He is, Engardio says, " scraped and bruised but OK."

"I’m grateful for Jeff’s courage and willingness to do a dangerous and often thankless job," Engardio writes on X. "Let’s thank Officer Jeff Chen and wish him well."

Coincidentally, Engardio recently profiled Officer Chen on his blog. The 27-year-old SF native told Engardio in an interview, "I truly enjoy this career. I definitely feel like I have helped some people along the way and hope to continue to try to be the change that I want to see."

Chen added, "This career is what you make of it and it can be very fun and rewarding. It can also be very stressful and exhausting. So a good balance is needed to juggle it all and not burn out."

Car break-ins remain one of the most frequent crimes in San Francisco, though tourist areas have tended to be the hardest hit — not, say, sleepier spots like 43rd and Irving.

Larceny theft, the category into which auto burglaries fall, is by far the biggest source of crime in the city, according to SFPD stats. Over 24,400 larceny thefts have been reported so far this year — though this figure is down by 8%, compared to this time last year.