Crime and Law

Cops Shoot Man During Traffic Stop

Gunfire in the Lower Nob Hill hood​Police shot and wounded an unidentified man who opened fire on them as they pulled him over during a traffic stop in the Lower Nob Hill area this afternoon. Officers made a traffic stop at about 1:30 p.m. on the corner of Larkin and Bush streets. As officers appr ... More >>

Charlie Bell, Golden State Warriors Player, Allegedly Shows Up to DUI Hearing Drunk

Slammed Drunk?​In what appears to be a boozy cry for help, Golden State Warriors guard Charlie Bell allegedly went to his DUI hearing -- drunk.Bell was taken to jail Thursday in his hometown of Flint, Mich., after a scheduled alcohol screening showed that Bell's blood alcohol content level was .09 ... More >>

Guillermo Herrera, MS-13 Gang Member, Gets Life in Prison

Life in prison probably won't do much to stop them ​Guillermo Herrera, better known as "Sparky," a San Francisco M-13 gang member, was sentenced today to life in prison for racketeering related charges. He is the last of six convicted MS-13 members to receive a life sentence. Herrera and his five ... More >>

The Boy Scouts' Police Problem: Explorers Have Been Sexually Abused by Cops. Should Scouts Share the Blame?

DNA Lab Cover-Up: SFPD to Investigate Claims in Secret Court Records

People Aren't Killing Each Other as Much in California

Fewer opporuntities to say "redrum" in California ​Despite all the horrible crises we read about every day (budget, education, etc), Californians have much to be proud of -- the scenic beauty, the diverse culture, and get this: We aren't killing each other as much as we used to. According to Gener ... More >>

Hate Expectations: Police and Prosecutors Are Quick to Claim the Presence of Racism — but Juries Are Not So Sure

Roberto Acosta, MS-13 Snitch Convicted of Lying to Government, Seeks New Trial

The snitch wants a new day in court. ​The MS-13 snitch who provided federal agents with information that led to the mega-indictment of the transnational gang -- and recorded alleged murder confessions that will be allowed as evidence in an upcoming Superior Court trial -- wants a new trial of his ... More >>

Danilo "Triste" Velasquez, San Francisco MS-13 Gang Leader, Convicted In Federal Court

​An MS-13 gang member who rose to a leadership position and demanded others continue the violence even after a federal take-down drained the gang's San Francisco ranks was convicted in federal court of RICO conspiracy today.Danilo "Triste" Velasquez (triste is Spanish for "sad") now faces 10 years ... More >>

Secret Court Transcript Reveals Concerns About 'Deliberate Attempt' to Mislead Crime Lab Auditors

​Judge: "It's always the coverup that makes the things worse than the problem to begin with"The San Francisco Police Department and District Attorney's Office are both implicated in allegations that a deliberate effort was made to conceal defects at the city's troubled forensics lab from state in ... More >>

South Bay Students Lose Court Battle Over "Incendiary" American Flag T-Shirts

You are not free to wear this t-shirt in Morgan Hill schools​Three Morgan Hill students got a crash course in American civics this week when they lost a lawsuit against high school officials who sent them home for wearing American Flag t-shirts to school. A judge dismissed the case against Live Oa ... More >>

Reynaldo Cordova Identified as Man Shot in Mission District

Man shot​Medical authorities have identified the man who was shot to death during a heated argument last week as 26-year-old Reynaldo Cordova. Cordova, a San Francisco resident, was on 23rd and Harrison streets on Friday morning when he got into a verbal fight with three men. One of the suspects p ... More >>

Man Shot to Death in the Mission; Homicide No. 45

Another Mission shooting​A 26-year-old man was shot and killed last night after he got into a verbal argument with three men in the Mission District. According to police, the victim, who has not yet been identified, was on Harrison and 23rd streets at about 1:40 a.m. Friday when the fight started. ... More >>

State Appeals Court Upholds Judge's Order Unsealing Secret DNA Lab Memo

​A panel of state appeals-court judges has upheld a San Francisco Superior Court judge's order last month that District Attorney George Gascón release a secret memo describing problems with DNA analysis at the San Francisco Police Department crime lab.The decision appeared to remove the last barr ... More >>

Homeless Sex Offenders in San Francisco Move Indoors

Sex offenders are moving inside.While all homeless sex offenders in San Francisco will have to report to round-up centers on Halloween, there will likely be fewer transients who need to check in this year.​In the last six months, San Francisco's public defender has quietly won temporary stays on J ... More >>

Federal Judge: MS-13 Informant, Roberto Acosta, Will Likely Be Killed If Deported

The MS-13 informant's future is looking grim. ​A federal judge replaced the defense attorney representing the Roberto Acosta -- the MS-13 gang informant who was convicted of lying to his handlers -- and urged attorneys on both sides to consider the likelihood that Acosta will be killed if he's dep ... More >>

Roberto Acosta, MS-13 Informant Convicted of Lying, Wants Out of Jail

The MS-13 snitch thinks the government is ungrateful for his help. ​Roberto "Bad Boy" Acosta, the MS-13 gang informant who for years gave federal agents details about San Francisco's branch of the gang, faces sentencing in federal court next week for lying to his handlers about how many people he' ... More >>

Feds Want Maximum Prison Time for Roberto Acosta, MS-13 Informant Who Lied

The government's snitch is about to get sentenced. ​Federal prosecutors are pushing for the maximum five-year sentence for the criminal informant who was shaping up to be their star witness in the case against San Francisco's MS-13 clique. But his future took a turn when Roberto Acosta was instead ... More >>

Ronnie Tiger, Bayview Shooting Victim, Dies 10 Years Later

Shooting victim dies a decade later​The Examiner brings us a unusual story today about 30-year-old Ronnie Tiger who had been laying in a hospital bed, unable to do anything except blink or smile for more than 10 years after being gunned down in 2001. Tiger, a City College student, was shot point b ... More >>

Inside Out

Anthony Wright Arrested on Suspicion of Shooting Bernal Heights Man in the Head

​Update (4:50 p.m.) Police arrested 34-year-old Anthony Wright on suspicion of killing a 28-year-old man who has not yet been identified. Media outlets are reporting that the victim was playing video games with his friends when Wright arrived and shot him in the head. Update (11:00 a.m.) Officer A ... More >>

Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez Accused of Killing Hells Angels President

​UCSF police last night arrested an alleged motorcycle gang member on suspicion of shooting and killing the president of the San Jose Hells Angels while at a casino in Nevada last week. Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez, who is purportedly a member of the Vagos motorcycle gang, was taken into custody at abo ... More >>

Pelican Bay Hunger Strike: Lawyers Turn to Gov. Jerry Brown for Help

You won't get Starbucks in solitary confinement ​Yesterday marked the first official day of the hunger strike taking place at eight prisons across the state, with as many as 4,000 inmates refusing state-issued meals. In response, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation issued a ... More >>

San Francisco One of the Few California Towns with Room for Prisoners

DNA Lab Memo at Center of Legal Battle in Gruesome 1976 Murder Case

AFP/Getty ImagesRockne Harmon​A secret internal memo criticizing DNA analysis procedures at the San Francisco Police Department crime lab has become an issue in prosecutors' efforts to obtain a conviction based on DNA evidence in the grisly rape and murder of a San Francisco woman in 1976.San Fran ... More >>

Gun Violence Continues: Man Shot in Ingleside District

More gun violence​A 18-year-old man is in critical condition after he was shot yesterday morning while driving through the Ingleside neighborhood. Police say the victim and another man were driving along San Jose and Geneva avenues at about 11:17 a.m. yesterday when two men in another vehicle drov ... More >>

Another Shooting in the Mission

What's up with all this violence in the Mission?​A man was critically injured after being shot in the Mission District, marking the fourth shooting in a weeklong streak of gun violence in the neighborhood. Police issued very few details about yesterday's shooting, which occurred at shortly before ... More >>

Dwayne Spruell Identified as Man Killed in Labor Day Argument

Another homicide ​The man who was shot and killed Monday morning during a heated argument in the Mission District has been identified as 45-year-old Dwayne Spruell. Neighbors told reporters that they heard loud arguing sometime after 2 a.m. on Monday morning near Camp and Guerrero streets, where d ... More >>

Man Shot and Killed During Argument in the Mission; Homicide No. 35

Tex Texin via Flickr ​The Mission District suffered a grim holiday when a man was shot and killed Monday morning in what witnesses described as a heated argument. It's the neighborhood's third murder in the last seven days. Medical authorities told SF Weekly they have not yet identified the victim ... More >>

24 Hour Fitness Faces Racketeering Charges

Racketeering charges should get your heart rate pumping​While your body might be in good shape after joining 24 Hour Fitness, your bank account might not be quite as healthy. A class action lawsuit accuses the ubiquitous workout business of taking an extra month of fees from members when they canc ... More >>

Crime Lab Confidential: DA and SFPD Withheld Damaging Memo About DNA Lab Failings

Teen Shot to Death in Visitacion Valley; Homicide No. 31

Homicide in Visitaction Valley ​An 18-year-old man was shot to death while standing on the sidewalk in Visitacion Valley, police said. The man -- who has not yet been identified -- was standing at the 200 block of Rey Street at about 10 p.m. when two men approached him and fired several shots befo ... More >>

Bike Bandit Strikes Again

Just a note from a loving victim ​Earlier this week, we warned readers about the rash of bike thefts happening in the Inner Sunset. The thief appears to have migrated to Cole Valley, where there have been increased reports of a cycle crook.Police Captain Denis O'Leary told SF Weekly that the thief ... More >>

Bouncer Laments the Lack of Maniacs at Glen Park Station

Hate Crimes Against Latinos Rise 47 Percent in California

​The year 2010 saw a marked uptick in hate crimes against Latinos statewide, according to newly released statistics from the California Attorney General's office.Attorney General Kamala Harris' annual report on hate crimes -- incidents in which victims are targeted because of their ethnicity, sexu ... More >>

Letter to S.F. Presiding Judge Katherine Feinstein Says Clerks 'Betrayed' by Management

Just cuts?​An interesting subplot is emerging in the story of the severe budget cuts forcing the layoffs of San Francisco Superior Court employees and closure of civil courtrooms. An open letter to Presiding Judge Katherine Feinstein has surfaced that accuses court administrators of "gutting" the ... More >>

Civil Courts Are San Francisco's Newest Endangered Species

Like the California grizzly, another symbol of our state is about to die off: the civil courts.​The warnings of cuts are over. They're here -- for real -- and San Francisco's civil court system will soon be a cozy concept from a bygone era in which the state had the cash to fund such luxuries as ... More >>

Roller Derby Girls Robbed at Gunpoint

Rolling on ... ​Police are investigating a brazen crime where two members of the Bay Area Derby girls league were robbed at gunpoint after a bout earlier this month.  On the evening of July 9, the two members had packed up the money the league had raised from the event that night and drove ba ... More >>

Charles Hill BART Shooting Video

Acquiescing to public demand, BART today released surveillance videos of the shooting death of Charles Hill, a transient who was killed by transit police over the July 4 weekend, sparking raucous protests. Hill, 45, was shot on the Civic Center platform after purportedly menacing an officer with kni ... More >>

Kenneth Harding Update: Ten Shots Fired in Six Seconds in Bayview Shooting

SFPD​SFPD released a map today which shows the 10 shots fired in yesterday's Bayview shooting, where police officers shot and killed 19-year-old Kenneth Harding. Harding, who was chased by SFPD officers after he dodged paying his Muni fare, allegedly fired shots at police, who then retaliated wit ... More >>

Pelican Bay Hunger Strike: Supporters Plan to Rally, Possibly Disrupt the Evening Commute

Maybe commuters should start protesting protesters ​What we learned from the BART protest earlier this week is that activists can bring commute traffic to a screeching halt. Which is why we are delivering this warning now: Duck out of work early today unless you want to get stuck in yet another pr ... More >>

San Francisco MS-13 Informant Found Guilty of Lying

The government won its case against its own informant. ​The inside informant who turned evidence for the feds about his own MS-13 gang in San Francisco was found guilty this week of lying to the government.According to the complaint, Roberto Acosta had told his handlers that he'd only been the mes ... More >>

Pelican Bay Inmates on Hunger Strike Are Growing Weak and Sick, Activists Say

​The health conditions of inmates who are striking to protest conditions in the California state prison system's maximum-security units have "deteriorated to critical levels," and some prisoners could start to die if immediate action isn't taken, activists say.The strike began two weeks ago at the ... More >>

Sean Everette Wilson Identified as Man Shot in Hayes Valley

Victim identified ​Medical authorities have released the name of the man who was shot to death Monday night as 20-year-old Sean Everette Wilson of San Francisco. Wilson was on the 500 block of Webster when he was shot in the head, according to police. No arrests have been made.

Karl Henderson Killed in Ingleside; Homicide No. 29

man shot ​Medical authorities have identified the man who was shot to death in broad daylight this weekend as 23-year-old Karl Henderson. Henderson, a San Francisco resident, was shot in the chest Holloway and Brighton avenues sometime around 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, according to police.

Charles Hill Identified as Man Shot by BART Cops

Charles Hill was shot ​Medical authorities say Charles Hill, 45, was the man who was shot to death over the weekend by BART police. Hill "had no fixed address," according to the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office. BART police shot Hill at the Civic Center BART station after getting calls abou ... More >>

California Death Sentences at 33-Year Low

​Fewer death sentences were handed down by California courts during the first half of 2011 than during any six-month period since 1978, according to a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.Just three defendants were sentenced to death from January to June of this ... More >>