San Francisco police officers descended on the Mission District on Saturday morning, responding to a burglary that had turned into a barricade situation.
No one was injured, and the incident resolved shortly after 1 p.m., after the suspect was arrested “without further incident” and taken to the hospital for “medical evaluation,” the department said.
A source with knowledge of the situation said the suspect broke into a building that belongs to the University of California, San Francisco, and barricaded the door, leading to the SWAT call. The man yelled at the officers and then went to sleep, the source said. He surrendered as soon as the SWAT team forced entry.
At 8:59 a.m., officers arrived at 20th and Alabama streets after a call regarding a nearby burglary, according to the San Francisco Police Department. At some point, the suspect barricaded in a warehouse complex at the intersection.
At least a dozen police vehicles ultimately came out to the intersection, including a SWAT van. For about four hours, 20th Street was blocked off from Alabama to Harrison streets, and Harrison was blocked from 19th to 20th streets.
The department said that officers "arrived on scene and attempted to make contact with the suspect," who may have been "experiencing a mental-health emergency." The suspect was inside the sprawling warehouse space at 3130 20th St., which houses several businesses, including a gym, architect's office, and interior design studio.
SFPD's hostage team was involved in attempting to "obtain a peaceful resolution," the department said.
A couple dozen officers could be seen inside the warehouse's parking lot at 1 p.m., once the situation was under control. Transit workers rolled up the yellow emergency tape that had blocked off roads, and the police began driving away.
A barista at Atlas Cafe, across the street, said the situation had lasted several hours. An officer entered the cafe shortly after 1 p.m. with a liter of half-and-half, thanking the barista for earlier making them a pot of coffee.
Additional reporting by Joe Eskenazi.
All information is preliminary. Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.
This was at the end of my block and it’s really helpful to know what it was. Thanks!
Newly elected Mayor Daniel Lurie picked a transitional team. I would’ve liked to be on that team. I’m a senior and live in the Bayview neighborhood. I could have represented all the seniors and make some suggestions to the team to help make life better for seniors.
The real story here is that the cops actually stopped scrolling on their phones long enough to do a little work. Amazing!