Castro neighborhood sees alleged burglaries, pepper spraying incident

  • by John Ferrannini, Assistant Editor
  • Tuesday September 1, 2020
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San Francisco police responded to a reported burglary in the Castro August 31. Photo: Sari Staver
San Francisco police responded to a reported burglary in the Castro August 31. Photo: Sari Staver

A pepper spraying incident and two reported burglaries have occurred in and around the Castro neighborhood in recent days, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

On August 30, police responded to a report of an individual suffering from a "mental health crisis" at Castro and 18th streets, Officer Tiffany Hang of SFPD media relations stated to the B.A.R. The same individual was pepper sprayed.

"The 47-year-old male was pepper sprayed by a citizen during a dispute. All involved parties remained on scene until police arrived," Hang wrote. "[Emergency medical services] treated the male and transported him for a mental health evaluation."

The following night, August 31 to September 1, there were two reports of burglaries. The first was on the 4100 block of 19th Street (between Castro and Collingwood streets).

"Officers located and detained a male suspect exiting the building. Through their investigation, officers determined the suspect damaged an exterior gate and gained entry past the gate," Hang stated. Officers arrested the suspect and transported him to San Francisco County Jail [No.] 1."

The second reported burglary occurred on the 3200 block of 19th Street (between South Van Ness and Folsom streets) in the Mission.

"Officers arrived and met with the reporting party, who stated that he received an alert from his alarm system; however, nothing was stolen and there were no signs of forced entry/damages," Hang stated.

Reports that a man with a screwdriver broke into someone's property and threatened a man at the intersection of 19th and Castro streets on the morning of September 1 could not be corroborated by the SFPD at press time.

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