Sgt. Kevin Brugaletta was seriously injured on Tuesday when this tree fell on his department car.

Sgt. Kevin Brugaletta, the rangemaster at the Lake Merced police shooting range, was badly injured on Tuesday when a tree fell on his city vehicle, Mission Local has learned. 

Police sources say Brugaletta, a 16-year San Francisco Police Department veteran, had to be extricated from his car after it was crushed by a massive tree downed in yesterday’s windstorm. 

Brugaletta was rushed to General Hospital in critical condition, where he was visited by Chief Bill Scott and the SFPD command staff. SFPD sources say he is now in serious but stable condition and remains hospitalized.  

“The members of the SFPOA are praying for the speedy recovery of Sgt. Brugaletta who suffered injuries on duty and is receiving excellent medical care,” said police union president Lt. Tracy McCray. “We are especially grateful to our San Francisco Firefighters, who responded with great professionalism and care to assist our officer, as well as the nurses and doctors who make up his medical care team.”

An update on his health is forthcoming. 

This is a breaking story and will be updated as possible.

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Managing Editor/Columnist. Joe was born in San Francisco, raised in the Bay Area, and attended U.C. Berkeley. He never left.

“Your humble narrator” was a writer and columnist for SF Weekly from 2007 to 2015, and a senior editor at San Francisco Magazine from 2015 to 2017. You may also have read his work in the Guardian (U.S. and U.K.); San Francisco Public Press; San Francisco Chronicle; San Francisco Examiner; Dallas Morning News; and elsewhere.

He resides in the Excelsior with his wife and three (!) kids, 4.3 miles from his birthplace and 5,474 from hers.

The Northern California branch of the Society of Professional Journalists named Eskenazi the 2019 Journalist of the Year.

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  1. Awful. Very sad event. This is the not the first time SF City trees have fallen and injuries and even killed people. SF needs to do better with its tax payer $$. Pray for a full recovery.

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  2. Thank you Joe for being one of the first to post this story. Other news organizations just referred to a police sergeant. You gave us an identity for us to pray for. God Bless Sgt. Kevin Brugaletta.

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    1. Congrats, Henry. They bought your car.

      I am told the 20ish-year-old Taurus is the pride of the SFPD. This man is the rangemaster for the shooting range and that’s the car you get.

      JE

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    2. I’m a retired City worker and had a Brown Ford “Tortoise” as we used to call it, back in the day. They’re actually fairly comfortable and easy to drive. I think the police budget is limited for new vehicles. My son is a SF police officer also and tells of driving some pretty tired vehicles..

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