A San Francisco Police Department car crashed into a defunct business in the Mission District on Wednesday evening after what witnesses said was a chase.
The intersection of Valencia and 22nd streets was roped off shortly before 7 p.m. after the police vehicle drove headfirst into the former location of Lucca Ravioli, a longtime deli that shuttered in 2019.
After the crash, a silver motorcycle was lying on 22nd Street, approximately 50 feet from the store entrance. Witnesses confirmed that it had been a chase, although police officers on the scene refused to comment.
Reached for comment, a spokesperson for the department confirmed that, shortly after 5 p.m., two officers in police SUV pursued a vehicle that was suspected of being involved in a violent crime. The SUV then crashed into the building, injuring two people. Both victims were transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and the officers themselves were unhurt.
The condition of the motorcyclist was not specified.
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The section of Valencia Street on which the crash occurred is partway through a major renovation, in which protected bike lanes have been installed along the center.
San Francisco police officers are permitted to engage in vehicle chases (opens in new tab) under certain conditions.