Edwin Michael Adams, 56, was the man killed during a police pursuit Monday morning that ended with him colliding into a bus shelter, the San Francisco medical examiner’s office said today. He was a resident of Pittsburg, the office said.
It is unclear what precipitated Adams’ death. The San Francisco Police Department said that about 11:24 a.m. on Oct. 12, police officers spotted Adams riding a scooter near Eighth and Mission streets in SoMa. He was wanted for an outstanding warrant, the department said, and officers attempted to arrest him.
The department said that “as the officers attempted to apprehend the suspect, the suspect fled on a scooter. The suspect then collided with a street fixture and suffered injury.”
But three witnesses told Mission Local that Adams struck the metal pole when he was tackled by someone who appeared to be an undercover police officer. SFPD did not respond to multiple questions about that account.
The witnesses said that a gray Ford Fusion sedan driving down Mission Street sped up, crossed into the opposing flow of traffic and attempted to cut off Adams while he was riding his scooter against traffic.
The witnesses then said a plain clothes individual stepped out of the vehicle and tackled Adams into the Muni shelter on Eighth and Mission. One person called it a “football tackle.”
“We were all saying it was the undercover cops, because who else acts like that,” said Frank Brown, one of the three witnesses. “It was that car and then more police cars with lights that followed after.”
Photos obtained by Mission Local from a commuter driving by show a man, presumably Adams, laying on the ground next to the shelter with a pool of blood around his head while two uniformed officers attended to his injuries.
The police department said officers provided medical attention before paramedics arrived and took Adams to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Adams had a warrant for his arrest, according to the police department, but it is unclear what it was for — SFPD did not respond to multiple questions.
According to the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, Adams had been represented by the department after being charged with nonviolent charges.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Adams, whom we proudly represented in connection with non-violent charges he did not yet have a chance to challenge at trial,” a spokesperson with the public defender’s office said.
“We hope the city will conduct a thorough and independent investigation into why the police decided to pursue him and what circumstances led to his very troubling death.”
Jail booking logs and records from the San Francisco Superior Court show was arrested at least four times from March 12 to Sep. 2 for nonviolent offenses, including possession of methamphetamine with the intent to sell, possession of cocaine with the intent to sell, and contempt of court.
Adams was released in early September with an ankle monitor, records show, contingent on his appearance in court. It is unclear if Adams was wearing the ankle monitor at the time of the incident.
The department regulates pursuing someone on a scooter under its foot pursuit policy, which allows officers to “weigh the necessity of immediate apprehension (including, but not limited to, the severity of the crime) against the danger to the pursuing officer(s), the fleeing person and the public.”