One person died and another was injured when they tried to flee from police and their car crashed beside a highway off-ramp Saturday afternoon.
Police said in a statement that officers with the department’s Tenderloin Station spotted a vehicle just after 4 p.m. that was connected to an armed robbery and several auto burglaries.
“Bipping” is Bay Area slang for stealing from cars, which is so prevalent in San Francisco it has earned the city the nickname: Bip City.
Social media posts by the San Francisco Police Officers Association said the driver and passenger were a “2-person car burglary team” suspected of several car break-ins at the Palace of Fine Arts earlier in the day on Saturday, and one had brandished a firearm. When officers tried to stop the vehicle, it fled at speeds of up to 70 mph onto Interstate 280.
Driver lost control of vehicle attempting to take Paul Ave exit, hitting a wall. Driver is deceased, passenger is critically injured. The investigation is active. pic.twitter.com/Ci6HEq8fpY
— San Francisco POA (@SanFranciscoPOA) October 1, 2023
Officers pursued the pair, which lost control of the vehicle while trying to exit the freeway and hit a wall near an off-ramp at San Bruno Avenue and Mansell Street, police said.
The driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was taken to a local hospital with critical injuries. Their identities were not available early Sunday.
Police said the California Highway Patrol office would investigate the crash.
A pursuit was initiated earlier today involving a vehicle wanted in connection to an armed robbery and auto burglaries. Officers initially attempted to stop the vehicle before it fled from officers and subsequently crashed at a highway off-ramp. ➡️ https://t.co/eZg6boNbRt pic.twitter.com/2Jp9mWHXTG
— San Francisco Police (@SFPD) October 1, 2023