San Francisco police, looking to show off the drone technology that has been helping them to make arrests without engaging in unsafe chases, just released drone video of one recent pursuit and arrest.
The incident began with a mugging at a bus stop in the Sunset District. Officers were called to the scene of the 2200 block of Irving Street on the afternoon of April 1, after two suspects approached a female victim at the bus stop, snatched her purse and assaulted her, and fled into a waiting vehicle.
According to a release from the SFPD, the victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and police soon learned that a vehicle of the same description was allegedly involved in two auto burglaries at the Legion of Honor parking lot.
An SFPD drone was then able to locate the vehicle at the Palace of Fine Arts parking lot — another hot spot for bipping — where police say they observed the suspects casing vehicles and committing two more auto burglaries.
"As the vehicle fled the area, plainclothes officers maintained surveillance and developed an apprehension plan to safely take the suspects into custody," the department explains. The vehicle likely had to head down Lombard in order to get to the Bay Bridge,
The vehicle was subsequently disabled using spike strips near the intersection of Van Ness and Lombard, and as the suspects continued trying to flee, they were involved in three separate minor vehicle collisions, as seen in the video below.
The suspects' vehicle, now with flat tires, was unable to get uphill on Lombard east of Van Ness, and the suspects all jumped out without putting it in park, leaving it to roll backwards and cause another minor collision.
All four suspects tried to flee the area on foot, with two quickly arrested by police, and the other two apprehended following a foot pursuit.
A search of the vehicle turned up burglary tools as well as stolen property from the Irving Street incident, the Legion of Honor burglaries, and the Palace of Fine Arts burglaries, police say.
The suspects have been identified as 25-year-old Charles Eason of San Francisco, 22-year-old Jamaul Mullins of Pittsburg, 18-year-old Major Skinner of Oakland, and 25-year-old Daija Bartholomew of Antioch. They were booked on multiple charges including second-degree burglary, second-degree robbery, elder abuse, and possession of stolen property.
While arrests have been made, this is still an active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD tip line at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.” Tipsters can remain anonymous.
