Officers with the U.S. Marshals Service, accompanied by San Francisco police, raided a Mission District home Thursday afternoon, taking one man into custody.
The man, who was dressed in a stained white T-shirt, checkered pajama pants and black-and-white Nike Air Jordans, was taken away in handcuffs by a marshal wearing a bulletproof vest. His expression was downcast, and he wore black square-rimmed glasses; his hair was in cornrows and his shoes were untied.
The arrest took place at 3331 20th St., an apartment building between Shotwell and Folsom streets, at around 3 p.m.
Three other marshals were present, one carrying a rifle and another a shield and a battering ram. Four SFPD officers in plainclothes and bulletproof vests stood outside the apartment building.
The marshals declined to comment on the arrest, and it was unclear who was being arrested or why. Messages for the San Francisco Police Department have not yet been returned. A U.S. marshal sergeant on the scene said simply “No comment” when asked repeatedly why they were there and who they were taking away.
Police sources identified some of the SFPD personnel present as being part of the Mission Station plainclothes team.
Neighbors and workmen nearby knew nothing, but a witness said that he had been approached by a police officer earlier in the day, who pulled up a picture of the arrested man on his phone, asking him if he knew the suspect.
The officer, the witness said, had been standing on the corner of Shotwell and 20th streets sipping a coffee earlier in the day. He showed the witness a picture and “full description” of the man, which indicated he was wanted, but the witness did not remember the presumed fugitive’s name, nor any other details.
The witness did not see the arrest itself, but “came out and saw all the officers hanging out in front and thought, ‘They must’ve got him.’”
The marshals took the man away in an unmarked white Dodge minivan, which drove away alongside another unmarked minivan and an SUV. The four San Francisco police officers, after being thanked by the marshals, left the scene together.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated if more information becomes available.
Additional reporting by Joe Eskenazi.
I appreciate the more measured and balanced reporting here – after the anti-cop skepticism and assumptions the ML story in December jumped to, following a raid that wound up involving child pornography suspect(s). Way to do better.
Cops have a tough job. More often than not – there’s someone or something awful on the other side of that job.
I am surprised at this comment. Eshkenazi’s reporting and analysis that you are referring too was anything but cop bashing. I would say it was some of the only real analysis I’ve seen anywhere, that actually tried to grapple with what is wrong with our police department. Everybody in the city knows that the upper echelons spent the last few years carrying out an unacknowledged strike/work slowdown. And the attitude of their superiors permeated down into the lower ranks to the point that SFPD grunts are no longer doing the work of maintaining order in the city. Eshkenazi actually called it out, and hopefully it’s something the next mayor will deal with, since our current one is basically lost and doesn’t know what to do anymore.
Yeah, it’s a tough job. There’s still no need to white knight for cops. They have enough people fell@ting them for years.
I agree Inspector Keller,
As long as this wasn’t SFPD violating our Sanctuary City statutes.
Joe’s writing is getting better bias wise and I’m a long time basher of cop staffing and work assignments but any good chief could make the City safe with this staff.
Elect our Police Chief like we used to do.
The sanctuary policy needs to be revisited. It was passed to protect witness and victims of crimes from fearing reporting crimes to police. It was supposed to be used by criminals to avoid deportation. San Francisco hasn’t had an elected chief ever they are always appointed by the mayor.
If that’s all that happened it was a good day cube.
i dont agree its not always a bad person, i think its sad when people call police for help but get treated like criminals when they arrive. I also feel police need to be accountable for damage they do and harm they cause its not alright no one is above the law. But yall act like it. I do agree the job is hard but alot yall shouldnt accept the responsibility if you cant handle it, and up hold the constitution which most violate due to peoples ignorance of their rights, but yall abuse and manipulate them to get convictions its sickening
Agree plus +
“. . .was taken away in handcuffs by a marshal wearing a bulletproof vest. His expression was downcast, and he wore black square-rimmed glasses; his hair was in cornrows and his shoes were untied.”
Which one? The arrestee, or the marshal?