'Hot Cop' of San Francisco's Castro District ordered to stand trial on felony hit-and-run charges

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A San Francisco superior court judge Wednesday ordered San Francisco Ofc. Christopher Kohrs, who is also known as the "Hot Cop of the Castro," to stand trial on felony hit-and-run charges in connection with a North Beach collision that injured two pedestrians in 2015.

Kohrs who had been with the department for seven years at the time of the Nov. 29, 2015 collision, was ordered to stand trial on two counts of felony hit-and-run with injury after a preliminary hearing that included testimony from a friend who was riding in the car with him.

One of those counts was elevated Wednesday to felony hit-and-run with serious or permanent injury.

Kohrs, who is out of custody on $100,000 bail, is accused of striking two men in their 40s around 2:20 a.m. that day at Broadway and Montgomery Street and then fleeing the scene on foot. The collision caused severe internal injuries in both men.

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His good friend Norman Banks, M.D., testified that he never saw Kohrs drink at the bar they were at, and that he thought he was sober the night of the collision.

He also said Kohrs was driving, and spoke about the incident when the car struck two pedestrians crossing the street saying, one of the pedestrians came flying over the windshield and, then fell over the car.

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Afterwards, he said: "All of us were freaked out. He [Chris] was definitely freaked out, pacing back and forth," Banks said. "We were all trying to figure out what to do, and that Chris disappeared out of sight."

Kohrs turned himself in at police headquarters around 10 a.m. that day, after he was identified by investigators as the registered owner and driver of the orange and black 2009 Dodge Charger left at the scene.

Both sides rested their cases after at least an hour of Banks testifying.

A previous preliminary hearing earlier in the year had about three or four other witnesses.

The final portion of the preliminary was on Wednesday.

Kohrs pleaded not guilty after the judge made his ruling.

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Kohrs was ordered to return to court on July 5 for further proceedings and to set a trial date.

In March, Kohrs settled a civil lawsuit filed against him by one of the victims.

Bay City News contributed to this story.