Suspects' ages in elderly woman's beating are 'shocking,' SF police chief says
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco police on Monday announced the arrest of suspects wanted in connection with the assault and robbery of an elderly Asian woman on Francisco Street on July 31.
The 70-year-old woman was beaten brutally, kicked in the head by multiple attackers, and robbed in broad daylight inside her apartment complex.
EXCLUSIVE: 70-year-old woman brutally beaten, kicked in head by 4 attackers in SF housing complex
She says she was standing in front of a building when she was approached by four juveniles. They asked her a question, which she didn't understand because of a language barrier, then gained access to her building where they beat her and robbed her of her property, police say.
During a press conference Monday, SFPD investigators identified the suspects as 18-year-old Oakland resident Darryl Moore, and three juveniles - ages 11, 13 and 14.
The names of the juvenile suspects will not be released.
Warrants were issued for Moore, the 13-year-old suspect and the 14-year-old suspect for charges of robbery, elder abuse, burglary, false imprisonment and conspiracy.
Due to their age, the 11-year-old suspect could not be charged in this case, SFPD says.
RELATED: 84-year-old killed after horrific daytime attack caught on video in San Francisco
Community leaders urged other victims of attacks to speak out pointing to these arrests as a sign of justice.
"We have seen a continuous wave of these horrible and despicable attacks. We know that they are not isolated incidents and we can't treat them as isolated incidents. They are systemic widespread problems that need systemic widespread solutions," said police commissioner Kevin Benedicto.
ABC7 News spoke to SFPD's Lieutenant Kevin Healy who said video of the attack was key to identifying the suspects and confirmed the 18-year-old is known to many law enforcement officers.
"I can't tell you that not just the identification but the investigation; BART PD assisted, OPD, Alameda County Juvenile Probation, Milpitas Police Department and definitely SFPD officers are the ones that are out there working hard they are the ones who identified the suspects. He was known by multiple police departments across the Bay Area? I would say yes," said Lt. Kevin Healy with SFPD Robbery Unit.
RELATED: Burglars repeatedly target SF Tenderloin's Asian-owned shop, costing hundreds in damages each time
San Francisco's new district attorney had a strong message about prosecuting these suspects.
"I commend the SFPD for solving this so quickly and we will take it from here to send the message that we need to," said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
Luz Pena: "What does that actually look like when you are dealing with minors in this case?"
DA Jenkins: "Yeah, so the 18-year-old will have his charges filed in adult court. The juveniles will proceed through the juvenile system. With the 11-year-old that is going to be a community issue because he is too young to be charged with a crime."
Moore was booked at Santa Clara County Jail on Aug. 10. The 13-year-old suspect was booked on unrelated charges at Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall and is being transferred to Alameda County, where they will be booked for charges in this case.
The 11-year-old was taken to the Alameda County Assessment Center. The 14-year-old has not yet been taken into custody.
San Francisco's police chief said the young ages of three of the four suspects were "shocking."
If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
