Suspected bicycle thief nabbed by officers
following Sunset District shootout

By Matt Wynkoop

May 19, 2007

Two San Francisco patrol officers were treated for minor injuries they sustained while trying to escape gunfire by a suspected bike robber this morning in the Sunset District, a police spokesman reported.

At around 1 a.m. today police received a report that someone had been seen stealing a bicycle from the garage of a home in the 2000 block of Lower Great Highway, San Francisco police Sgt. Steve Mannina said.

Responding officers soon located a man that fit a witness' description riding a bicycle near the intersection of 48th Avenue and Taraval Street, according to Mannina.

As the officers were in the process of exiting their patrol car in an effort to approach the suspect, the man suddenly produced a gun and fired several shots at the officers, hitting the patrol car multiple times.

The officers immediately returned gunfire but the man ran from the scene northbound on 47th Avenue, Mannina said.

Police set up a large perimeter in the area and called the San Francisco SWAT team to assist with the search, which included a large sweep of Ocean Beach, Mannina said.

The suspect was located at around 4:45 a.m. hiding in a patch of bushes at Santiago Street and Lower Great Highway suffering a gunshot wound to the hand, Mannina said.

Both officers were taken to San Francisco General Hospital to be treated for minor injuries sustained during their attempts to avoid the initial gunfire.

The suspect, who remains unidentified this afternoon, was also taken to San Francisco General Hospital to receive treatment for his injured hand, Mannina said. The suspect remains at the hospital this afternoon.

Copyright © 2007 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

####