A San Francisco reporter was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight while interviewing residents about recent car break-ins on Twin Peaks, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said.
At around 12:37 p.m., KPIX Reporter Don Ford was on the street at Twin Peaks Boulevard and Burnett Avenue, interviewing a resident. Suddenly, a white luxury sedan pulled up beside him, and three individuals came out.
Broad Daylight Robbery
One of the suspects had a gun and demanded Ford to give them his camera equipment. The San Francisco police said the criminals quickly fled the scene after taking the victim’s belongings.
“Three guys jumped out, one had a gun, put it up to my face and said, ‘We’re taking the camera.’ My whole thought at the moment was, ‘Let’s be calm. Let’s not get this guy excited. He’s got the gun. I don’t.’ So, you take the camera, it’s yours, buddy,” Ford said.
Police have not arrested any suspects related to the incident as of 6:00 p.m. Wednesday. Mandelman said it was fortunate that the reporter was not injured during the encounter.
In a post on Twitter, the San Francisco Park Station Police said the stolen camera was recovered on Wednesday. Mandelman said burglars and robbers have frequently been targeting people near Twin Peaks, breaking into vehicles and robbing motorists.
Mandelman said the robbery on Wednesday was “consistent with the concerns” of “increasingly brazen property crimes” that residents have been anxious about. However, the worse part of the recent incident was their use of a firearm.
“Folks who are looking to break into cars are taking that opportunity to break into cars, and that has been a source of grievance for folks in that neighborhood. We’ve been hearing about concerns about crime and safety increasingly through last year and into this year. Not just from that neighborhood, but pretty much everywhere in my district, and I think other neighborhoods in the city as well,” Mandelman said.
San Francisco police arrested two men in February for allegedly stealing a group of local television news crew’s camera near the eastbound I-80 Bay Bridge Ramp, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
“We need to adequately resource our public safety agencies, adopt better strategies to stop repeat offenders, and make clear that San Francisco is not a place that you can commit crimes and put people’s lives at risk with impunity,” said Mandelman.
