The fourth suspect in the stabbing and robbery of a man in Dolores Park early Saturday morning is still at large, according to Mission Police Captain Greg Corrales. “He’s been ID’d, but not arrested,” Corrales said. “That was some bad information yesterday. We’re out actively looking for him.”
Corrales would not state the age of the fourth suspect, but did say that, like the three currently in detention, he is male and a San Francisco resident. Corrales did not have any more information about a fifth suspect mentioned yesterday.
The 40-year-old victim, an Asian male, was stabbed multiple times in the torso by a group of suspects while near the narrow, enclosed bridge that extends from 19th and Church into the western end of Dolores Park. The victim was not able to say much to police who arrived on the scene before he lapsed into unconsciousness — only that he had been robbed of his backpack. According to Captain Corrales, the backpack was discovered discarded near the scene.
“This is the first violent crime in Dolores Park in a long, long time,” said Captain Corrales. When asked if there was any connection to the armed robbery that occurred in Dolores Park on May 24, he responded that no connection had been found. In that case, a 17-year-old and his friend were robbed by a group of 10 to 15 juveniles.
The first suspect to be apprehended, a 17-year-old juvenile currently on probation, was caught after police set up a perimeter around the park. All four suspects currently in custody were identified by people in the park who witnessed the incident.
“I don’t know if [the victim] was from around here or not,” said Lieutenant Michelle Jean of the Mission Police Station. “He was definitely at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
When asked what sort of people would be in Dolores Park at 1 a.m., Jean responded “I don’t know. I sure wouldn’t be.” She added that in the year that she has been working at the station, this is the first violent incident in the park that she has heard of. “There’s so much foot traffic through there that any incident would have a lot of witnesses.” In her experience, robberies are more common on the Mission’s streets than in its parks. “People get a little drunk and then leave a bar with their iPhone out, their wallet out….”
The names of the victim and the four suspects have not been released. In an interview with SFGate, police Officer Samson Chan gave the suspects’ ages as 20, 18 and 17. Chan also reported that the victim may have been attacked by as many as a dozen people; seven were detained, but only three were ultimately booked that night and held on suspicion of attempted murder and robbery.
The Examiner reports that victim was an Asian male.
The victim, who was admitted to San Francisco General with reportedly life-threatening wounds, is now expected to survive.
Police are asking anyone with information about the attack to call the tip line at 415-575-4444. Tips can also be sent via text to TIPS411.
This story will continue to be updated as events progress.
john, if you don’t like the comments don’t read them…same as you, I’m posting my opinion, there is nothing about your post which makes it more appropriate for this forum than mine. bug off.
I believe the officer said she personally would not walk through the park for safety reasons. Many people, would not walk through any park at 1 a.m. drunk or sober. It may be the case, however; that around midnight to 3 a.m. more police should patrol this park. Marcolan you may want to redirect your apparent anger toward something more useful than commenting on a news story.
To be fair, Jean is a day shift officer. It’s not her job to go out at night.
And she did say, in the same statement, that although she personally wouldn’t be there at 1 am, in her opinion the park is much safer than the streets around it precisely because there is so much traffic around it – people walking home, getting off and on public transit, and so forth. Any attack would have multiple witnesses and that appears to be the case here.
Lieutenant Michelle Jean you are a disgrace to the police force. Who would be on walking path near a muni stop on a Saturday at 1AM? Ummmm…lots of people, there are plenty of bars and clubs nearby. If anything this individual was responsible leaving a bar at 1AM and walking or taking muni instead of driving like many people.
Your statement certainly seems to imply that a certain type of people don’t deserve protection or get what they deserve.
What type of person are you Lieutenant? A police officer that doesn’t get out her car? A police officer that doesn’t believe certain types of people deserve to be protected? Judgmental? Typical. While your attitude is far too common in the SFPD, you are a disgrace to your proud profession.
“When asked what sort of people would be in Dolores Park at 1 a.m., [Lt. Michelle]Jean responded “I don’t know. I sure wouldn’t be.””
Um, what does THAT mean? It is a public park. I’ve walked through there around 1am on my way home numerous times. Let’s not blame the victim, Lieutenant.
Finally some details on the suspects – thanks SF Weekly! Unfortunately the Chronicle won’t say a word.
SFWeekly reports:
Officer Samson Chan, a San Francisco Police spokesman, told SF Weekly that the “main suspects are in custody” — including the only man police believe stabbed the victim.
Police detained seven people following the early-morning stabbing and three remain in custody: A 17-, 18-, and 20-year old — all Hispanic males residing in San Francisco.
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2010/08/dolores_park_stabbing_victim_f.php
Thank you very much – all of you – for the thoughtful comments and the additional details. I’ve done another edit to the article to reflect them.
“I sure wouldn’t be???” Seriously? Is Lieutenant Jean speaking as a police officer, suggesting that the park is so scary that she wouldn’t patrol it, even in uniform?
Or is she speaking as a civilian, saying that she doesn’t feel safe walking through a park a mere two blocks from a major police station?
Either way, her comment is embarrassing. We need a REAL police presence in our city, and especially in our beloved parks. Just take a look at NYC. That’s how you do it.
First, I hope that the victim recovers.
Second, I think that it is scary that a mob of a dozen people stabbed someone.
Third on the comment section at one of the other papers, there is too much negative speculation going on about why the victim was in the park at that hour. I’ve never crossed that bridge that late at night, but I’ve parked my car and seen people in the park late at night. Particularly on a Friday or Saturday night if the weather is good, people can still be there.
U know there is just the possibility he was simply cutting through the park after being out. Nothing says he was cruising at the time.
Additional details thanks to The Examiner: the victim was an “Asian male,” the article attributes the following info to an SF Police Lt. Michelle Jean of Mission Station, Lt. Jean describes the perpetrators as “the gang” and the article mentions that “the third was a 17-year-old boy on probation.”
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/crime/Three-arrested-in-Dolores-Park-robbery-stabbing-99696154.html
Also, I can’t see how cruising comes into it. Mentioning this can (depending on who’s doin’the mentioning) so often have shades of blaming the victim. I can see bringing it up if we’re trying to call attention to what might be a pre-meditated gang initiation & hate crime against the queer community, rather than against some poor guy that was walking home who may or may not have been gay.
“When asked what sort of people would be in Dolores Park at 1 a.m., Jeans responded “I don’t know. I sure wouldn’t be.””
Maybe if cops were out doing more than giving tickets they would know that the people in the park at 1a are 1. teenagers getting drunk 2. guys cruising. 3. the occasional passer-thru 4. the occasional thug…roving packs of homicidal teens? really?
The bridge is at the end of 19th, not the end of Cumberland (half a block up). Cumberland does have a little stairway down to the path, but from there you either have to head down to the bridge or up to the 20th J station.
Cumerland bridge? It’s 19th St. I’ve lived here for 23 years and never heard it referred to as that. Thanks for better coverage that most of the local sources.
Alex – Thank you very much. We’ve corrected it in the article.
This was actually early Saturday, but it only appeared on SF Gate last night. Strange that they’re releasing so few details. My initial thought was that this guy was spending the night in the park, or that he was cruising. Either way, there should be much more public outrage about this.