Police reported an attempted robbery occurred on the corner of 16th and Capp Streets at 12:30 a.m. last night. A 36-year-old man was approached on the street by a man asking for money. After ignoring him and walking away, the victim was confronted by a female accomplice of the man.
The male suspect then brandished a knife against the victim and as the victim turned away the female suspect pepper-sprayed him. At this point he ran away from the pair safely, with no loss of property.
SoMa Arsons
Between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. last night, four small fires were reported within a two-block radius in SoMa. Officers responded to all four and the fire department safely put them out. There are no suspects and no one has been taken into custody, but police believe the arsons are related and may have been committed by the same person.
At 11:12 last night, officers on the scene at Market and Hyde Streets viewed clothing and garbage on fire against a news kiosk, which sustained damage before the fire department put out the flames. Twenty minutes later at 11:36 p.m., officers at Mission and 7th Streets viewed a garbage can on fire, which was also extinguished by the fire department.
An hour later at 12:58 a.m., officers again saw a garbage can on fire, this time on the sidewalk of the 1200 block of Market Street, which begins at the corner of Market and Hyde. At the same time officers already on-site because of the multiple fires saw two cardboard boxes burning at the corner of Larkin and Grove, a block away from the previous fire. Both were put out by the fire department.
When asked whether the police believes these arsons are related, police department spokesperson Officer Albie Esparza said, “Absolutely. They all happened very close together at around the same time.”
No police officers at the scene last night saw anyone they would deem a suspect, but the department is concerned about the string of fires.
“It is very concerning when we have a person running around the neighborhood setting fires like this,” Officer Esparza said. “The issue has been handed over to the Arson Task Force,” he added.
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 Recovery Center at UCSF.