Police: Undercover San Francisco cop injured by fleeing auto burglary suspect

Byby Melanie Woodrow KGO logo
Friday, February 2, 2018
Police: Undercover SF cop injured by fleeing auto burglary suspect
Police said a suspect fleeing the scene of an apparent auto burglary in progress near Alamo Square struck and injured a San Francisco officer and another suspect Thursday before taking off and causing another accident nearby.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Police said a suspect fleeing the scene of an apparent auto burglary in progress near Alamo Square struck and injured a San Francisco officer and another suspect Thursday before taking off and causing another accident nearby.

Officials said a couple visiting from Orlando who had just arrived in San Francisco watched as someone broke into their car before an undercover San Francisco officer sprang into action.

Undercover San Francisco police officers with Northern Station were conducting surveillance in Alamo Square, an area known for car break-ins. As officers watched, so did Erin Ge's husband. "He was just shocked, he called me and said come back around back our car was smashed our car was broken," Ge said.

"Sounded like a car hit another car and I looked over and I see a car flying up in the air with a guy rolling out from under it," witness Jason Mcavoy said.

San Francisco police say an undercover officer who had been on his bicycle attempted to detain the person breaking into the car, when a driver in a nearby car rammed the officer and in doing so also ran over one of the suspects.

Both the officer and the suspect were taken to a hospital. Officials said the officer is expected to survive, while the condition of the injured suspect was not immediately available.

Police say the driver who rammed the officer and suspect got into another collision at Haight and Buchanan streets where officers took that driver into custody.

Police arrested a third suspect who was in the passenger seat of the car and fled on foot at Linden and Buchanan streets.

San Francisco police say they've been focused on eliminating and reducing car break-ins. This was the Ge's second visit in eight years to San Francisco. As for if they'll return for a third, they said "I don't know, maybe."

Bay City News contributed to this story.