A man on Friday stole a No. 49 Muni bus, assaulted its driver and took off on a wild ride in which he struck multiple vehicles, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
The SFPD on Saturday confirmed a tip received by Mission Local on Friday.
The incident took place at just before 8 p.m. on Friday night, according to the police, when a man carjacked a Muni “accordion” bus with no passengers at Mission Street and Cortland Avenue. He then drove off and struck multiple vehicles before coming to a stop at 19th and Guerrero streets.
The man accused of carjacking the bus also allegedly assaulted the bus driver. An ambulance was summoned for the bus driver and another driver; no one is in life-threatening condition, reportedly.
The SFPD reports that the alleged carjacker was taken into custody at 19th and Guerrero; a source within the department tells us that the bus had slowed to around 5 mph by the time it reached Mission and 18th streets, and the carjacker ran off at 19th and Guerrero and was caught after a foot pursuit.
Video posted by Twitter-user Ques Boom Tv shows the articulated bus being driven wildly through city streets and sideswiping cars and trucks.
The police have not yet release the identity of the suspect. No suspect whose accused crimes match the above was listed on the Sheriff’s Department nightly jail booking log.
This is a breaking story and will be updated as possible. Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and start the message with SFPD.
Update: Rickey Rene Dancy, 34, has been booked into jail on a bevy of charges relating to his alleged carjacking of the No. 49 bus. One is carjacking, intuitively; others include driving under the influence of drugs causing injury, assault with a deadly weapon not a firearm, battery on a transit employee and, interestingly, operating a bicycle without brakes. As of Sunday morning, he remains in jail.
Crime is up in San Francisco. I would like to know why SFPD are now guarding Apple Stores in Stonestown, Walgreens and other private stores? Are we privatizing our police? At a Starbucks on Irving, the manager stated that it would cost the store 500 dollars to file a restraining order against a mentally ill man who broke their store window recently and has been causing havoc for many businesses along the Irving street corridor. What gives here? Are we charging for this service and allowing some businesses to rent our police? This needs some scrutiny and don’t feel any safer with our new DA. That was a shame since crime is going up under her and the mayor’s leadership.
It looks like Muni should hire riders to protect the bus drivers. I would turn down that job, but, I be a few people would probably jump at it.
Wait wasn’t Brooke Jenkins going to make SF “feel safe” again? I thought her “tough tone” was the solution to crime?! You mean she was full of shit all along? I’m astounded! Wait, does this mean prosecutors don’t actually have any real impact on crime rates? Wow?! If only SF voters knew that before Jenkins opportunistically lied her way through a recall campaign!! Seems to me and data corroborates crime has gone up across the board since her appointment…
@Thomas per SF Chronicle, Muni-related crime has been “on a steady decline since peaking in 2013.” It is still below 2019 & 2020 levels.
Mayor London Breed’s city is turning into the wild wild west. First the armed robbery earlier today at the Leica store in Union Square and now this, a bus jacking?
Geez Louise. . . Welcome to the Wild Wild (urban) West. I thought I’d moved to the plain ole Wild Wild West (horses, cattle, poultry, etc. have near palatial residences within city limits in my current West), but MAN! Ain’t got nuthin’ on the City, apparently. Glad to know injuries weren’t life threatening, seriously.