A Black woman riding a motor scooter on 18th Street near Valencia was shoved to the ground by San Francisco police officers, according to witnesses. She was kept handcuffed on the ground for 20 minutes while complaining of pain, they said.
Video taken by this reporter shows the woman complaining of “burning” pain throughout the 20-minute ordeal—presumably the result of a hard shove given to her by police officers, which witnesses said caused her to hit a pole, crash her motor scooter, and fall to the ground.
“My arms are burning,” she cries, as she is held down and handcuffed by two officers. “This is burning, ma’am. Ma’am, this is burning my wrist.”
“They pushed her really hard against this pole—emphasis on the ‘really hard,'” said 34-year-old Julian Delgado, a local resident who saw the encounter and filmed the aftermath.
The woman, whose name could not be immediately confirmed, was riding a red Yamaha scooter down 18th Street between Valencia and Guerrero Streets, allegedly evading the police. She rode westbound on 18th Street from Valencia before pulling into Lapidge Street, turning around, and returning eastbound on 18th Street.
It’s at this point that police officers intercepted her: A squad car pulled over on the side of the road and an officer ran toward her, pushing her against the pole and causing her to crash the scooter into the back of a parked pick-up truck, according to witnesses.
Dearborn St
South of
Market
The woman was detained
after turning into Lapidge St.
and then traveling eastbound
on 18th St. on her scooter
18th St
Lexington St
Mission
Valencia St
Lapidge St
Linda St
Bernal Heights
Dearborn St
The woman was detained
after turning into Lapidge St.
and then traveling eastbound
on 18th St. on her scooter
Lexington St
18th St
Valencia St
Linda St
Lapidge St
Mission
Map by Will Jarrett. Basemap from Mapbox.
“They were following her, they told her to stop,” said Menardo Barragan, the owner of one of the buildings nearby who was sitting inside his green Ford Ranger when the scooter crashed behind him. Delgado also said that police had told her to stop through loudspeakers in their squad cars. This reporter also heard one such order given some 15 seconds before the woman was on the ground.
The woman, however, told police that she was not attempting to evade them and that she was simply trying to pull over.
“I was trying to pull over on the sidewalk,” she cries while handcuffed. “I was trying to pull over on the sidewalk, not run from you guys.”
She remained handcuffed on the ground for over 20 minutes as police waited for an ambulance. She cried out the entire time, complaining of burning pain in her arms and legs.
The woman had committed an as-yet-unknown traffic violation just before the encounter, according to a police sergeant on site, and was told to pull over several times by the police. This reporter overheard an officer saying they had first tried to pull her over at 19th and Guerrero Streets and thought they had lost her, before sighting her again on 18th Street.
Eventually, more than a dozen officers from at least six squad cars joined the scene. While the woman complained of pain, officers told her to wait for an ambulance to arrive—which took 20 minutes. Her handcuffs were removed and replaced by white straps as she was put on a plastic gurney and shepherded to San Francisco General Hospital, per the sergeant on-site.
Our calls to the department’s public information office for more information have not yet been returned.
Please just comply.
Unless she committed anything beyond an infraction, the PD is not supposed to perform a traffic stop, let alone respond in such a manner. So for the naysayers, there aren’t enough facts like Gene and the rest. If she committed a misdemeanor or beyond, there are department general orders regarding pursuit, yes even for a felony LB. Were they followed? For everyone jumping on it, put yourselves in the pursued’s shoes. Did you see everything? Probably not.
The police was wrong it’s all on video seriously unnecessary
While riding a scooter, it takes 1 second to stop. Talk about burying the lead. This article is an embarrassment to objectivity.
“The woman had committed an as-yet-unknown traffic violation just before the encounter.”
Of course, that doesn’t rule out that she was arrested for fleeing a violent felony.
Beautiful arrest by SFPD. Better a tackled crook than a dead or injured pedestrian from perps reckless driving.
Thank you for reporting this.
Was pushed or blocked for no stopping. Race has no part here. To say pushed is a match to a fuse. You don’t know what you don’t know what was real here. Our guys on the line had to put together safety as possible to stop her/him(no matter gender or race) to help all around. You do the wrong thing in public and put the public in harms way need to know we have a great humane team in the back ground to serve and protect.
Hmmmmm… some of the comments on here are absolutely ridiculous and ignorant to the circumstances that are at play here but I’ll play both sides of the street on this. First, I get pissed with scooters, bikes, skateboards, et al… violating traffic laws every day, all day with not a cop in sight. I’m also not thrilled when they do show up for certain situations and are quick to violate someone’s civil rights and even commit illegal acts themselves. I have friends that are police officers and some of them are great officers but there are those that are just criminals with badges which brings down the whole force.
That being said, even if this woman had committed a minor traffic violation, there was no reason for these officers to apprehend her with that kind of violence. Six officers to take down this woman? Are you kidding?! I’ve seen enough in this city to know this was an egregious over reaction that typically only happens when people of color are involved.
I don’t know the mindset of these officers and I don’t know the mindset of some of the posters that seem to find nothing wrong with this behavior but for a city that is purported to be at the forefront of liberal thoughts and upholding civil rights, your true colors always manage to come shining through. If you think these actions were okay you need to check yourself and recognize yourself for what you truly are.
completely unnecessary:
“more than a dozen officers from at least six squad cars joined the scene”
We do not yet know her offense, but yesterday, my family watched a bunch of young white men riding their electric scooters on the sidewalk toward the ballpark. They were incredibly reckless, moving so fast in fairly heavy pedestrian crowds.
Where were the police? 6 squad cars wasting time at the scene where their co-worker broke SFPD policy by shoving one woman off of a moving scooter. Priorities.
The “lawlessness” that others seem to complain about seems to only refer to a very specific group of people that do not include white men.
What those bastards done was unnecessary and violated so many rules that they must follow. Obviously she wasn’t fleeing or evading the police. She’s dt come on know we see so many cops dt it’s crazy scary how they manage to run up and assault this young lady over something that could have easily given a citation instead they made things worse by taking matters the unlawful way. It’s mind blowing knowing that all those drug dealers on every street corner downtown is selling in their face but yet they manage to point out a young lady on a scooter and which it should’ve ended in a ticket. I’m going to complain to the city and police station because that is totally unacceptable.
This lady was in a bonafide car accident. Caused by the city of San Francisco. She should sue for damages, and get a personal injury attorney.
Here’s an idea, next time don’t run from police
Why in the world would you start your article with the color of this person & the fact that it is a woman?? If it was a white or Asian person would this be mentioned at all? So ridiculous! Also, if I am ever pulled over by law enforcement I pull over immediately..this woman is over reacting & wants money I betcha!!!
SFPD pursuit guidelines are readily available online. Unshockingly, shoving a rider from their motorcycle or scooter is not an approved offensive measure. The officer who took it upon themself to do that broke policy, courted a lawsuit, and risked a life. I’d like to know what the original offense was.
here is a good article ( I know the person in question personally) https://reason.com/2014/02/14/another-grim-reminder-why-it-is-always-d/
I know the person in question personally and they are an extraordinary brilliant and caring person. They went to University of Cambridge and has a PHD in biophysics.
no one wins lawsuits against the SF police (or extremely rarely – it’s rigged system)
Your article contributes to unwarranted anti-police sentiments and I find it upsetting when we live in a city with so much crime and disorder. You don’t even know what this woman did to alert the police to her. In my 26 years of living in SF, I see very little intervention by the police for clear and sometimes dangerous motor vehicles, bicycle, scooter, or pedestrian violation. So I would probably give law enforcement agents the benefit of the doubt in the rare incidents that they do attempt to cite someone. Please let the police do there job. If there is evidence of unwaresnted behavior, you should report that. Someone who is injured while fleeing the police is just not news.
the police knocked her down off a scooter and pushed her with such force that she needed medical attention. what do you not understand about why that is a problem?
In short:
My comments are civil, always.
This article feeds into a narrative that the police are racist and abusive without much evidence.
I comment multiple times to respond to updates in the article and new comments.
Don’t tell me what to do and not to do.
Campers,
Kudos to the cops on this one.
I live on Valencia and not that agile anymore and dodge scooters all the time.
I think they acted appropriately.
Sends a message.
I do agree that leading with ‘Black woman’ is Yellow Journalism.
Go Niners !!
h.
“You don’t even know what this woman did to alert the police to her.”
And neither do you, Donald. The SFPD doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. The journalist’s job is not to parrot the police line, but to try to get to the bottom of a story. Enough with anti-citizen sentiments!
It is not a journalists job to promote anti-police bias. Here is an unbiased description of the events:
“There was a person on scooter who was asked multiple times to stop by police but the individual did not stop. The police pursued the individual, stoped them by pushing them off the scooter and arrested the individual. The arrested individual was later hospitalized. Further details about the arrest are not known at this time.”
I don’t think she was “evading police”—why bother turning back onto 18th if you’re trying to get away? So many cops show up, all of them ignoring her words. I don’t trust the SFPD.
Melissa,
“So many cops show up.”
That’s because they refuse to do Foot Patrols.
That’s a block from Mission station and one of those 6 cops should have been and should be assigned permanent Foot Patrol of that Tourist Magnet.
Why does Union Square get Foot Patrols but not the Mission Corridor !!??!!
Elect our Police Chief !!
h.
Why? Is there data that SFPD abuses its power.
If a police officer asks me to stop, I will stop. Moving away from them for over a block only leads to suspicious behavior.
“Is there data that SFPD abuses its power.”
yes
https://reason.com/2014/02/14/another-grim-reminder-why-it-is-always-d/
Article is from 2014. Different times. The method of this arrest was appropriate.
Boo hoo.
She is putting other road users – including pedestrians, cyclists, and other light vehicles – at risk by not driving according to the law. No means no. Stop means stop. Why should only the lawbreakers get off?
Why does her race matter ?? I rarely see this race descriptor for suspects. Is there any evidence this was in any way a race based stop/detention/arrest?? If not, and it doesn’t seem like there is, this is simply race baiting.
Agreed!!
So if it was a White woman, would the article lead with that?
Wow! From reading the headlines , you would think that the police had done something wrong to an innocent black woman. But when you read the article, you learn that the officers asked the woman to stop multiple times using loud speakers and she was trying to evade them. If she had stopped when asked, she probably would have not been pursued and pushed off her scooter in my opinion. Good job at trying to further gin up anti-police sentient in a city and neighborhood that desperately needs more policing (see beating of SF fire inspecter and killing of tech millionaire on the streets of SF over the past few days).
Agreed, the Mission hating on young Latino cops who have to commute into the city to do the things no one wants to do.
You gotta be kidding me! 6 patrols after one woman,meanwhile business and people getting robbed and no police around!This is ridiculous.
Exactly what I was thinking. They can’t be bothered to protect Walgreens when they are alerted to major theft about to happen but there are 6 of them after a scooter for a traffic violation.
Yeah, sometimes when I try to pull over it takes me a block and a half loop to do it.
She was evading police and got caught. Why is her race relevant? If it was an Asian or Caucasian woman would her race be mentioned in the report?