A 21-year-old man suspected of breaking into multiple cars in a bipping spree livestreamed police officers’ pursuit of him through San Francisco streets before his eventual arrest on Wednesday, according to authorities and social media footage.
According to San Francisco police, officers were notified of an auto burglary at 12:15 p.m. in the area of Steiner and Grove streets at Alamo Square. The department said in a statement Thursday that officers recognized the vehicle involved from another robbery that occurred on April 19 in the city's Richmond District.
Police located the suspect vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled, prompting a pursuit.
Three occupants, identified as Andrew Maravilla-Lopez, 21, Masiah West-Ayele, 21, and Michael Gebremeskel, 23, fled the vehicle on foot in the area of 22nd and Kansas streets but were apprehended by officers shortly after. The driver, 21-year-old Omarion Holman, continued to evade police before being taken into custody near Steuart Street and Steuart Lane, the department said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
♾ Infinti Alert --> US Park Police is reporting to SFPD that there is an "852 suspect vehicle" (bippin, auto burglary) in the area of 26th Ave and Lake. Grey Infiniti G37 with 3 occupants aboard, black hoodies and masks, no front plate. pic.twitter.com/mCROmoY9o2
— FriscoLive415 (@friscolive415) May 1, 2024
In a video posted Thursday by @FriscoLive415, a man can be seen wearing glasses and a shiesty mask while filming himself riding along San Francisco’s Embarcadero before lifting the phone outside and capturing at least two police cars in pursuit behind him.
“We them guys! There’s 10 cops chasing me! On my granny!” the man says in the video. “They say to bip? They say, keep bipping!” the man says, before adding “Man, fuck that bip, bruh” before another person in the car answers by repeating him.
Soon after, he apparently realizes that he doesn’t have a way to escape the pursuit. “Fuck, I’m at a dead end, bruh. It’s over,” he says.
The man then stops the car, gets out and drops his phone on the ground to run away. Moments later, a police officer walks into the frame, gun raised and yelling, “Get on the fucking ground!”
— FriscoLive415 (@friscolive415) May 1, 2024
Video from the incident posted to @FriscoLive415 on X showed police surrounding a seated man with his hands cuffed behind his back as an officer appeared to show the suspect’s own livestream video to him on a cellphone at the Embarcadero.
San Francisco police declined to confirm whether Holman, the suspected driver in the pursuit, livestreamed the chase. But the man's appearance matches multiple social media accounts belonging to an Omarion Holman. The area where he is seen in handcuffs also matches the location where authorities said the pursuit ended.
A search of the car yielded a firearm and thousands of dollars worth of stolen property, including camera equipment taken during the alleged auto burglary Wednesday, according to police. Additional property belonging to the victim of the April 19 incident on Lyon Street was also recovered.
— FriscoLive415 (@friscolive415) May 1, 2024
Holman was booked into San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of multiple crimes, including carrying a firearm in a public place while masked to hide identity, having a concealed firearm in a vehicle, carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony, unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle, receipt of stolen property, conspiracy, hit-and-run driving, second-degree burglary, possession of burglary tools and failure to obey a uniformed officer’s lawful command.
The other three suspects were arrested on a range of charges, including burglary, receiving stolen property, conspiracy, vehicle theft, firearm violations and resisting arrest.