San Francisco burglary suspect hospitalized after jumping from building following rooftop chase

Byby Elissa Harrington KGO logo
Sunday, April 17, 2016
SF burglary suspect hospitalized after falling from building
A burglar crashed down onto a car after a rooftop chase in Nob Hill early Saturday morning.

SAN FRANCSICO (KGO) -- A burglar crashed down onto a car after a rooftop chase in Nob Hill early Saturday morning.

Around 8:45 a.m., officers responded to a report of a burglary in the 1300 block of Pacific Street, according to police.

Tiffany Norman was asleep when around 8:40 a.m. she was awakened by the suspect.

"I just heard this big banging on my door and all of a sudden somebody was at my apartment," Norman said.

A stranger, armed with a gun, broke down her front door and entered her Nob Hill apartment. Police were close behind. They chased him to the roof, across the tops of several buildings. He tried to jump to a tree to escape, but fell three stories, and landed on a parked car.

Neighbors say they woke up this morning to the sound of a large thud.

"I just heard screaming. I heard somebody running down the street screaming," said Marcia McGocern, a neighbor.

The suspect's crime spree started Saturday morning. He's accused of breaking into homes on Leavenworth Street and Pacific Avenue - gaining access through the roofs.

"He cut through some construction plastic and went into one of the apartments and then broke through and came out. And then when police were taking the report for that, they saw him running down this way, and he had a gun," said Steve Stevens, a neighbor.

He allegedly held one victim up at gunpoint. Police say he also pointed the gun at them. The suspect was hurt and is at the hospital. When he's out he'll be booked into jail.