It’s been a bad few days for personal property and portable bathrooms. Five robberies, one break-in and one case of arson occurred in the Mission this past weekend.
At 12:40 a.m. on Monday, 33-year-old Marcello Arancibia was taken into custody after being found near a burned Port-a-Potty on 24th and York streets, according to police spokesperson Officer Albie Esparza.
Officers received several 911 calls about the burned bathroom and were told by one caller that they had seen a male set fire to it. After arriving on the scene, officers retained the subject who matched the description they had been given. Additionally, firefighters corroborated the identity of the individual, telling officers that they had seen the suspect walking away from the fire shortly after it was set.
The police say that Arancibia was booked at San Francisco County Jail for three arson charges. Another Port-a-Potty was set on fire at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, but there was no suspect and no word yet on whether the two are related. This second arson occurred near the corner of Scott and Vallejo Street in the Fillmore.
At 9:20 p.m. on Friday, a male suspect in his 20s entered a car shop and put motor oil and deodorant in his pants before walking out of the store without paying. The victim tried to stop the thief but was pushed away. The suspect entered a green station wagon with another male in it and fled the scene.
On Saturday at 2:20 a.m., a 53-year-old female was walking near Cesar Chavez and Mission streets when a black four-door sedan drove up alongside her. A man in his 30s stepped out of the car and verbally demanded the victim hand over her belongings. When she hesitated, the suspect took her purse, wallet and cell phone by force before getting back in the car and speeding off westbound on Cesar Chavez.
At around the same time, a 25-year-old female was on San Bruno Avenue near 24th Street when a man in his 20s pushed her to the ground and took her purse, passport and money. The suspect then got into a black four-door sedan and fled eastbound on 24th St.
At 9:15 a.m. later that Saturday, a 38-year-old female was on her phone near 16th and Mission Streets when a man in his 30s tried to take her purse. As they struggled, a woman in her 30s took the victim’s phone and backpack. Both suspects then fled the scene on foot, purse and phone in hand.
On Sunday, a man was riding the 14 Mission bus and when the bus came to a stop, another man asked the victim for his belongings. When the victim refused, the suspect punched him in the face and grabbed his bag of electronics before getting off the bus.
In addition to the robberies, between 7 and 10 p.m. on Saturday there was a break-in at a home on 24th Street near Folsom. A 28-year-old man was in his living room when he noticed that the rear door was open. When he went to investigate he found that his room had been ransacked. The victim discovered that his safe and its contents had been stolen from the closet. The perpetrators fled the scene before the victim knew they were there.
If you have any information about any of the incidents described above you can call Mission Station’s anonymous tip line at 415-552-4558.
Crime is trauma and the county offers different services. Here is a link to a page of services.
Victims of violent crime can also contact the Trauma Recover Center at UCSF.