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Carjacking suspect leads cops on huge chase across city

The image shows a nighttime street scene with multiple police cars displaying flashing red and blue lights, illuminating parked vehicles and nearby buildings.
Police cars head west during a chase Thursday night. | Source: Garrett Leahy/The Standard

A suspected carjacking Thursday night in SoMa led to a police chase involving at least 10 squad cars.

A victim called the San Francisco Police Department, reporting that a knife-wielding thief stole their vehicle from Minna and Seventh streets, an area infamous for open-air drug scenes, at around 7 p.m.

Cops spotted the stolen vehicle near South Van Ness Avenue and attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect fled, leading officers on a whirlwind chase across the city to Fort Miley on the western side of Lands End.

Eyewitness Terry Whalen said police deployed spikes to stop a white BMW sedan during the chase.

Videos of the huge police presence were posted to social media as the chase rumbled across town.

A car tire is severely damaged, with the rubber shredded and hanging off the rim of a BMW wheel. The car is parked on a rough, gravelly surface.
A BMW's tire after it was spiked by police during a chase on Thursday. | Source: Terry Whalen
A police chase involving 10 police vehicles on Point Lobos Ave. in the Richmond District on Thursday. | Source: Garrett Leahy/The Standard

The Standard caught the action on camera as 10 police vehicles with sirens blazing drove west down Point Lobos Avenue near the VA Medical Center at 7:27 p.m.

“Does anyone know why there are about 15 cop cars driving thru both nob hill and also the richmond? It was at least 15 maybe more all speeding with their lights on and ambulances as well. Seemed pretty major to me,” a user posted to the San Francisco Reddit page.

The suspect then tried to escape on foot but was caught by police. The SFPD said charges are pending.

Joe Burn can be reached at jburn@sfstandard.com
Garrett Leahy can be reached at garrett@sfstandard.com