Pablo O. a man who works on the plaza at 16th Street said he witnessed the Sunday morning attack that ended with 55-year-old Larry Teevy dead from multiple stabbing wounds.
The account could not be corroborated, but police said Teevy was attacked and stabbed by at least three suspects and succumbed to his injuries.
Teevy was well known within the community of men and women who convene at the BART plaza daily – located next to the Walgreens at 1979 Mission St. — according to people in the area.
The witness said it began sometime around 7 a.m. when Teevy was hit by a motorcyclist while jaywalking across 16th Street from the northeast corner.
“The driver was going down 16th and didn’t see Larry,” said the witness. “He hits him and they fall, they tumble, and then they fight.”
Pablo said that a scuffle ensued between the men following the collision and escalated when a bystander jumped in to grab Teevy’s phone, which had fallen from his pocket. Others on the plaza then became involved in the fight, Pablo said.
“They started fighting again, it was a huge brawl,” said Pablo. When asked if police had been notified, Pablo said that “people usually don’t call the cops unless you hear gunshots.”
One group broke off, he said, then returned between 10 and 15 minutes later with knives.
Pablo said that Teevy attempted to escape the fight shortly before he was stabbed. “He ran and then three people knifed him down,” said Pablo, adding that one of the men was armed with what looked like “a machete.”
Teevy fell to the ground and the men continued to stab him, said Pablo. “That’s when everybody dispersed,” he said, adding that a friend of his who had intervened to help Teevy was “slashed in the forehead” and had to be treated at a nearby hospital. Police did not indicate there was a second victim in the incident.
After Teevy was struck down, it didn’t take long for police to respond. Pablo said that 10 to 15 police cars swarmed the northeast corner of the intersection, which was then cordoned off for the investigation.
Candles and the words “Rest In Peace Larry, We Love You” scribbled across a 911-emergency phone box at the northeastern corner of the 16th and Mission BART Plaza mark the spot where Teevy died.
“Larry was a great dad and a great grandfather,” said one woman who was visibly perturbed by the news of Teevy’s death, but refused to give her name. She said Teevy was from the Western Addition but spent time near the 16th and Mission Bart Plaza, and others present at the plaza on Monday agreed that Teevy was a “good man.”
“He was a nice guy, and always kind to me,” said another woman who claimed to have known Teevy fleetingly. She also refused to give her name. Others questioned about the man’s death even claimed to “know who did it,” but remained mum.
“You’re not going to hear it from anyone out here,” said one man who also said he knew Teevy.
Police declined to comment further on the case, and it is unclear if any arrests have been made in connection with the homicide.
The intersection has been plagued by a week of violence, beginning with another stabbing on May 28 during which a 43-year-old man sustained life-threatening stab wounds to the face, neck, and hands after getting into an argument with another man.
Just a few days ago, Pablo said he witnessed another altercation while working at the plaza during which a man was pistol-whipped.
“This week has been tumultuous,” he said.
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.
The police have been disallowed and discouraged from doing their job properly. Even if they were called, i doubt they would have had the confidence to do what was right in that situation any longer.
And God forbid there would ever be any police presence on that corner …. We don’t want a “war on the poor” now, do we?