Saturday Night Robbery Ends in Arrest

A robbery on Saturday night led to a foot chase and at least one backyard search, and ended in an arrest, according to police.

Just after 9 p.m., a 25-year-old man was walking close to Mission and 24th streets when three men between the ages of 18 and 30 approached him and one snatched his cell phone from his hand. The victim tried to get the phone back from the suspect, who brandished a shotgun. All three men then fled on foot. The victim did not report any injuries, police said.

Shortly after, officers arrived on the scene and asked the victim to ride with them in the police car as they looked for the suspects. The victim spotted the man who had robbed him walking on Bartlett and 23rd streets. When the suspect noticed the officers, he ran off, police said.

A foot pursuit ensued, taking police through at least one resident’s backyard. The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, wrote to Mission Local about the incident:

“On Saturday night at about 10, police rang my bell several times and asked (in a state of emergency) if they could go through my yard in search of someone. There were many police officers, guns drawn (including one rifle). Seeing that my yard is a dead end, most left and told me to lock the door behind them. Later they came back to trace their steps, saying that they had ‘got him.’”

The foot pursuit ended at 23rd and Valencia streets, where officers detained the 18-year-old suspect, police said. They recovered the shotgun, which the suspect had ditched during the chase, along with the victim’s cell phone.

The suspect was booked on a number of charges, according to police, including brandishing a firearm, resisting arrest, robbery and possession of stolen property.