Owner of stolen SUV is speaking out about fatal, high-speed chase

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A high-speed chase through three counties led officers across the Richmond Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge and into San Francisco. It ended in a crash and fatal shootout in the heart of the Financial District.

When people first saw the car accident in downtown San Francisco just after 6 a.m. Thursday, many figured it was a result of the rain-slick roads. Some rushed to the car to help the man trapped inside. They had no idea the man inside had a gun or that he would start shooting at them.

"And as the suspect was attempting to get himself out of the car and Good Samaritans were running to his aid, he fired upon the Good Samaritans, several rounds. At least one piece of something struck one of the Good Samaritans in the chest," stated San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr. He added that the Good Samaritan suffered non-threatening injuries and that he will be fine.

This all started as a carjacking in Richmond. Police say a man forced a woman out of her Escalade at gunpoint and then led police on a chase from Richmond, through the North Bay, across the Golden Gate Bridge and then into San Francisco's financial district, where he crashed at California and Battery.

Bystanders heard cops yelling, "Get your hands in the air!"

Workers at a nearby coffee shop ran outside to see what happened.

"We were standing there watching it, doing the whole spectator thing, and then we heard the shots go off and then we ran back into here ducked under this counter and... it was crazy," said employee Julia Greg, who witnessed the accident.

She says the gunshots were rapid, like firecrackers, and that there were maybe 20 of them. What she heard was police shooting the man the Escalade.

"At a point when he made a certain turn, turning a gun toward officers, several officers fired upon the suspect and he was pronounced dead at the scene," explained Chief Suhr.

The chief says it appears to be a justified shooting and many witnesses agree. "It was about five minutes after the cops got there before they shot him because they ordered him numerous times to drop the weapon and show his hands; they did everything right," said Harry Anderson.

Olga is the owner of the stolen Escalade. She says she usually looks around when she leaves her house, but Thursday morning, she didn't. "Because it was raining, I was covering my glasses, so I didn't see anything," explained Olga. "Suddenly the passenger seat door opened, I saw the guy, he pointed the gun at me and he's like, 'You're gonna drive away' and I immediately started saying, 'No! No!'"

With no time to waste, Olga made here made her move. She said, "He was reaching over to me and that's when I decided I'm gonna jump out of the car, I'm not gonna go anywhere with him."

The man with the gun took off and took Olga's white Cadillac Escalade with him.

Olga called for her husband, who in turn called police, unleashing the deadly chain of events.

With her 2-year-old son at her side, Olga says she knows she did the right thing. She told ABC7 News, "It's scarier because I'm like, 'Wow, that could've been me. He could've shot me.'"