There’s a Spike in Teenagers Carrying Out Violent Robberies, SF Police Say

Giving an example of teenagers violently attacking a victim to steal a phone, San Francisco's police chief says juvenile robberies of a similar nature are on the rise.

Chief Bill Scott told a Police Commission meeting Wednesday the suspects surrounded the victim and punched and kicked them until they became unconscious and fell to the ground. They then took the victim’s phone and bank cards before the victim was taken to the hospital and stabilized.

“We have seen a little bit of a spike in these types of crimes involving youth,” Scott said.

He was referencing a robbery of a person by three teenagers at Mason and O'Farrell streets at around 8:31 p.m. Jan. 14.

Police later did a search of the area and arrested the three suspects in the area of Taylor and Market streets. They also recovered the victim’s property.

Scott said police would collaborate with youth organizations to “get a handle on this.”

The police department was contacted for further information about the incident, youth-involved crime trends and the department's plans to work with youth-serving groups to address them.