SFPD detail alleged crime spree after DNA led to arrest of suspect in beating of 88-year-old grandmother
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco police say DNA evidence led to an arrest in the brutal beating of a beloved 88-year-old grandmother. The crime happened earlier this month in the city's Visitacion Valley neighborhood.
"What I can say is his actions speak to someone who doesn't value human life very much," San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said.
He echoed what the public was thinking.
The brutal assault January 8 on 88-year-old Yik Oi Huang was so heinous, it galvanized not only the community but police.
They worked tirelessly over two weeks to identify and arrest him.
RELATED: Suspect arrested in beating of 88-year-old woman in SF
On January 16, a week after the assault, police say 18-year-old Keonte Gathron was involved in a carjacking on Visitacion Avenue.
They say he abandoned the car at a gas station, but not before it captured his face on a security camera video.
Two days later, police learned that DNA evidence taken from the scene of Huang's assault matched Gathron's DNA sample which was in the database, a sample from an old crime.
"There were some gloves, and we were able to obtain a profile off those gloves that matched the suspect in this that tied him to the crime," Commander Greg Mceachern explained,
Police then put out a crime alert showing the gas station video. They now had their suspect.
But, during his freedom Gathron allegedly committed other crimes.
As he rode a red bicycle on Woolsey Avenue, police say he stole a 14-year-old girl's cellphone at gunpoint.
RELATED: Family, community rally for San Francisco grandmother assaulted on playground
Then, two hours later a new victim - a 17-year-old girl.
The suspect approached the victim on the same red bicycle, punched the victim in the face and stole her iPhone.
Officers tracked the iPhone to the Sunnydale District.
During a search there, they found Gathron after a foot chase hiding in a car.
They recovered his jacket, which police say was the same one he wore during the carjacking.
He has been charged with attempted murder for the assault on Huang, and a long list of other charges for his alleged crimes.
Go here if you'd like to contribute to a GoFundMe to raise money for the victim's medical bills if no reward is collected.
VIDEO: SFPD details alleged crime spree after suspect arrested in brutal beating
