A car collision on 21st Street and South Van Ness Avenue at about 8 a.m. on Tuesday killed two people and left one in life-threatening condition at San Francisco General Hospital, said Carlos Manfredi, the San Francisco Police Department’s officer for media relations.
Police responded to a call of a shooting from a black four-door vehicle near Valencia Gardens at about 7:45 a.m. The officers saw the vehicle a few blocks away and attempted a traffic stop.
The black vehicle drove away at a high speed as an officer was approaching the vehicle on foot, according to Manfredi. There was no pursuit.
A few blocks away, as it was heading northbound on South Van Ness, the suspect’s vehicle hit a car that in turn hit the northeast corner of a convenience store on 21st Street and South Van Ness Avenue. A pedestrian who was walking into the store was struck by the vehicle that had been hit and was pronounced dead on the scene, said Manfredi.
The passenger in the victim’s vehicle was also pronounced dead on the scene. The driver was taken to San Francisco General with life-threatening injuries.
Police recovered a handgun in the suspect’s car and took the driver into custody. He sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.
“This happened fairly quickly, within seconds,” said Manfredi.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Incredible.
I tried to login with my Fb but it did not let me so I made a comment in response to my first one under this. Thanks
The corner store is collecting money to give the family so they can send the body of the woman passenger back to Guatemala where she’s from. The driver remains in critical condition. Thanks
Hi, I had posted a comment above. Yes, my version of what the sounds were is wrong now that I have learned the “details” of this tragic accident.
The sounds as I described them remain the same, except that what I thought was “gunshots” (and since the first thing I saw right after the car crashed was the police with guns out pointing at the black car). Those sounds were of the white car “Spinning” and hitting several areas like a street post, hitting the door of the store so hard it went down and the front tires went Flat.
So it was the sound of a crash, then what sounded like gunshots (but it was the sound of the things the car hit as it spun along with the tires going flat). This was undoubtedly a very tragic accident.
Where was Feinstein and Pelosi when we needed them?
Live nearby the Valencia Gardens, this all start with a shooting at the Gardens. The cops spotted the shooter and tried to stop him but he took off and this is the result. Not a good start for 2013. Something has to be done about all the guns that are on the streets. According to news last night the police chief said this guy had a criminal history and is known to the SFPD. How did this guy ended up with a gun?
The Gangs and the Guns have got to go! Lets do anything needed to get them out of our neighborhood. Idiot kids don’t just shoot themselves, but kill others in the process.
More cops would help. Gangsters should learn to stay away.
Does anyone know the name of the customer that was killed?
Yes that’s my uncle. His name was Francisco de asis gutierrez
Very very sad. To the poster above. It doesn’t matter if the two people killed were the shop owners or people you personally knew. They were special and important people to someone else you know? That is kind of a self absorbed and narccisitic viewpoint. Oh at least it wasnt someone that affected YOU personally… Come on. The fact is that two innocent lives were lost today because of the violent recklessness of one very lost soul. I sure hope he turns his life around and learns something from this awful accident.
Ok, I live in the building in the corner, my window is right in-front of the scene!… the article notes that there was NO pursuit?? how come right after the car crashes there was already like 10-15 police cars all with their guns out pointing at the black car? It was all too quick but slow too..there was the sound of the police cars (as if chasing someone) right after a car crash followed by immediate sounds of gunshots (MANY)… Through my window I could see all the police cars front, back and side ways on the street blocking the cars and all the police men with their guns out. I dont’ know where the shots came from but this was a confrontation between someone and the police (who shot too).
Thank you for describing what you saw. We need to hear eyewitness accounts like yours. Eyewitness accounts and surveilance video are the only way we can find out if this crash followed a police chase. Police have a hard job and I agree that gangs and thugs cause crime but citizens have to watch over the police and make sure they don’t make matters worse. The police do lie sometimes to cover for each other.
Your version of the events is substantially different from that reported by Mission Local. You allege police overreaction and coverup. Do you plan to follow up? Or will it be sufficient to add to false notion that crime in the MIssion is not about drugs, thugs, and shots fired; but rather about out-of-control cops?
Hi, I described what I heard and saw immediately. My version remains the same except that what I thought were sounds of a gun (and since the police had the black car surrounded with guns) it was actually the sounds (after the actual crash) of the white car spinning around, tires going flat and hitting a street post as well as the door of the store making it go down. Thanks
Without minimizing the terribleness of yesterday’s events and loss of life at 21st and South Van Ness, I want to note that the biggest crime in the Mission is the legal crime of real estate speculation.
Thank you!
Real estate speculation doesn’t kill.
Don’t be so sure. RIP Lola McKay: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Lola-McKay-2767601.php.
When I say biggest crime, I mean most common.
Terribleness minimized
So, sad. We try to be careful drivers, to avoid collisions. But this tragedy shows that we never know when someone else might cause us harm. My thoughts are with the pedestrian’s family. What a sad day indeed.
Very sad way for several families to start the year. We are on 21st, btw So. Van Ness and Capp. Our bedroom faces 21st. This morning, we woke up to the sound of a car speeding, followed by two thumps, one loud enough to shake our house. The thumps were followed by the sound of the police cars. From the bedroom window we saw police officers with guns on hand, and the suspect cuffed and on the ground. We watched as one body was taken from the white vehicle, while the second body was shielded by police officers, until a blanket was put over it. We never expected to see fatalities. While we are sad for the loss of others, I am glad it was not one of the market’s workers/owners. We are still hoping the customer killed is no one we know.
You referred to yourself 11 times in this post. You referred to the victims 6 times. A little self-absorbed imo.