The San Francisco Police Department held a town hall meeting Monday showing footage of three officers shooting at an armed suspect after a Sept. 13 chase that ended near the fare gates of the Powell Street BART Station.
Justin Matthew Alderman, 30, was armed, and the gun can be seen throughout the video.
Alderman was hit multiple times after being shot by two officers, and is in “fair condition,” according to San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott.
The department did not disclose which officers shot Alderman, but it released the names of three officers involved in his pursuit: Colin Ryan, Bartholomew Sullivan and Phong Nguyen.
The officers fired, according to acting commander Officer Mark Im, after at least three attempts by officers to subdue him with “BolaWrap” devices, which fire wires meant to bind suspects. The less-lethal devices, which were adopted by the department in June, appear to have come up short in their first high-profile San Francisco test.
Police today released body-worn-camera footage from all three officers, as well as surveillance video.
At 5:16 p.m. on Sept. 13, officers were called to a white BMW at Jesse and Sixth streets. The body-cam footage shows Alderman asleep with a silver revolver visible in the car. Police called for officers to “shield” the surrounding area to prevent Alderman from fleeing by car. The video shows officers ordering Alderman to “come out of the car with your hands up.”
Alderman, however, subsequently rushed out of the car, fleeing with his gun. The video shows the suspect carrying a gun and briefly entering a liquor store on Fifth Street and attempting to hide behind the counter before running out and toward the Powell Street BART Station.
The video shows the officers shouting orders to Alderman, imploring him to “put the gun down.” Instead, Alderman continues to run, and heads down the Powell Street escalator.
Video reveals bystanders hiding and taking cover while police pursue the suspect and unsuccessfully fire BolaWraps at him.
Officers said that Alderman raised his gun hand as he neared the BART fare gates, prompting them to open fire. On video, Alderman is clearly carrying a gun.
A barrage of shots were aimed at Alderman, who then falls to the ground. Alderman can be heard shouting “My leg! my leg!” in video footage. He was first given aid and then taken into custody. A revolver and cartridges were recovered from the scene.
Alderman did not fire any shots.
He was booked last week on nine counts, including unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle; resisting a peace officer; having a concealed firearm in a vehicle; carrying a loaded firearm; possession of a firearm by a felon; receiving stolen property (motor vehicle) and probation violations.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 25.
BolaWrap less-lethal devices are used by multiple police agencies, but appear to have a mixed track record. As Mission Local reported in June, the Los Angeles Police Department approved use of the lasso devices in 2019 and began using them in early 2020. Eight of the 10 uses in the first year of adoption were considered “not effective,” according to the LAPD, often because the tether failed to wrap completely around the subject.
The Seattle Police Department also began testing out the BolaWrap in 2021, and reported deploying it only three times before discontinuing its use in 2023.
Per FriscoLive415, this suspect has quite the rap sheet. 2012 burglary, 2012 grand theft, 2013 assault, 2014 obstruction of officer of the peace, 2017 burglary, 2017 identity theft/car theft, 2018 lewd conduct in public, 2019 receiving a stolen vehicle, 2019 assault with a deadly weapon, 2020 car theft/reckless evading, and 2021 elder abuse.
I’m glad SFPD caught him without hurting anyone else.
Good shooting SFPD! Thank you for your service.
Bravo to SFPD for their professionalism and restraint in this situation. There were many ways this could have ended, and thankfully it did not end with any body bags.
We know that they have had to deal with a lot, and face intense vitriol from some. But most San Franciscans strongly appreciate all they do and want to work to continue to help them succeed.
Gonna have to question Jenkins on this one.
“The body-cam footage shows Alderman asleep with a silver revolver visible in the car.”
“He was booked last week on nine counts, including… having a concealed firearm in a vehicle”
How was someone who was at Sixth at Jessie get all the way to Powell at Market BART station also trying to hide at a liquor store for a minute? Containment was not there.