We’re now learning that suspended SF Sheriff’’s Office Chief of Staff Richard Jue was driving a city-owned vehicle when he was allegedly involved with a hit-and-run and provided false information, and the vehicle he hit may have been a Tesla.

We learned over the weekend that a very high-ranking member of the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, the Chief of Staff Richard Jue, was arrested Sunday morning on charges of a hit-and-run and for providing false information to officers about the incident. The alleged hit-and-run incident occurred while Jue was off-duty, and he was charged with two misdemeanors, booked into SF County Jail and then released on $7,500 bond and placed on paid administrative leave pending criminal and internal Sheriff’s Office investigations.

According to KTVU, the Sheriff's Office has sent the case to the District Attorney's office. "The Sheriff's Office holds all members — regardless of rank or role — to the highest ethical and professional standards," SF Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said in a statement to KTVU. "We believe in the integrity of the judicial process and are committed to ensuring that anyone found guilty of criminal conduct, whether a member of our staff or the public, is held accountable.”

NBC Bay Area says that a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson declined to comment on when and where the alleged hit-and-run happened, and that SFPD did not provide further detail when asked.

But Mission Local has sources indicating that the “underlying incident took place in March.” That outlet adds that Jue was driving a city-owned law enforcement vehicle at the time, and his vehicle “may have struck a Tesla in the Ingleside Police District.” It’s significant if the incident involved a Tesla, because those vehicles are outfitted with many surveillance cameras that can show what happened.

Update: DA Brooke Jenkins's office charged Jue Monday afternoon with misdemeanor hit-and-run and filing a false police report charges, and her office's statement confirms Mission Local's reporting.

"Mr. Jue, while off duty but driving a Sheriff's vehicle, allegedly left the scene of an accident, when he drove the Sheriff’s vehicle into a Tesla parked on southbound Diamond Heights Boulevard near Duncan Street, on March 4, 2025, causing serious damage to both vehicles," Jenkins's office said in their announcement. "Mr. Jue allegedly waited two weeks to formally report the accident. When he reported it, he claimed that he had been the victim of an unknown hit-and-run in a parking lot. The next day, he allegedly made another report, apologizing and stating he in fact had caused the accident and left the scene without leaving a note.  The victim’s Tesla was later deemed a total loss."

Jue was chief of staff with the Sheriff's Office, and the Facebook post above shows he’s been in that role for about four years. Jue had previously been with the SFPD for 30 years. But while his Sheriff’s Office post is a civilian position, in his case, it came with a uniform, a badge, and a gun.

Mission Local has some scuttlebutt that some in the Sheriff’s Office “questioned and resented this,” and we may see some of those turf wars between the Sheriff’s Office vs SFPD (or their unions, at least) come into play here.

KRON4 adds that Jue is the founder and former president of the San Francisco Asian Peace Officers Association, as well as the current vice president of the San Francisco Unified Lions Club. And as seen above, he’s also the chairperson of the chair of the Nihonmachi Street Fair board of directors.

Related: Top SF Law Enforcement Official Arrested, Under Investigation for Hit-and-Run [SFist]

Image: San Francisco Sheriff’s Office via Facebook