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Driver accused of wounding 6 in Muni crash has been released from police custody but remains hospitalized

A driver in a white SUV traveling westward on Lombard Street hit a 22-Fillmore bus at a speed sufficient to turn the bus all the way around on Saturday, June 18, 2022. The collision left multiple bus riders bleeding, including a young child with lacerations on her face. Courtesy Eric Kingsbury

A man who allegedly wounded six people when he plowed an SUV into a Muni bus in the Marina District on Saturday has been released from police custody, officials say. But he’s still in the hospital and faces re-arrest once charges are filed.

A spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office said charges have yet to be filed against Gabriel Daniel Martinez, 26, of Utah, because the agency is waiting on toxicology results.

Martinez was arrested shortly after Saturday’s crash by the San Francisco Police Department, which booked him on a number of charges while he underwent treatment at San Francisco General Hospital.

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office had him in custody through Tuesday—but by Wednesday, he was released, officials say.

DA spokesperson Rachel Marshall acknowledged the case has been discharged for the time being. Discharging the case means that prosecutors have yet to officially accuse him of a crime.

Because Martinez remains in the hospital, Marshall said the DA’s office does not believe he is a flight risk. 

Martinez declined to comment when The Standard asked to speak to him at the hospital.

Saturday’s high-speed Muni crash highlights ongoing safety issues on San Francisco streets, and was followed by a deadly hit-and-run Wednesday in the Mission District.

Jonah Owen Lamb can be reached at jonah@sfstandard.com

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