Underwhelming Police Response After Alleged Carjacking and Abduction on 20th and San Carlos

Gina writes:

At 4:30 a.m. I was awoken to the sound of a woman screaming bloody murder. I looked out the window of my San Carlos Street apartment and saw tail lights outside of Hog & Rocks. She was screaming for help and demanding that the attacker get out of her car. Within seconds neighbors began running outside, as did I. In under a minute this woman and her car were gone. All we could do was call for the cops and try to piece together what had happened.

This is only guessing- but the half dozen of us that heard and saw small bits from our windows think she was car jacked on 20th and San Carlos, and tried to fight the attacker off. He won after one block.

None of us could identify the car, only that it was a car not a truck or SUV. We couldn't help the police much and they didn't have the best representation with only one officer showing up. We tried to tell him as quickly and clearly as we could what we saw. The officer drove off looking for a car that he couldn't identify that had any sign of trouble. No officers came to follow-up with us after that. We're left to hope that woman is okay.

If anyone has any additional information, you can contact the SFPD Anonymous Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or the text tip line, TIP411, referencing SFPD in the message.

Update: Gina's initial email was from 5:30 this morning.  Here's her update from 9:30.

I just spoke with the Mission Police and can update you with this: They had a partial description on the car, and partial license plate given by my neighbor. They sent all units looking for the car and turned up nothing. I asked if they'd had any women come forward on being attacked last night that would fit with the San Carlos Street event- they had not. You see, I was hoping the woman got free and contacted the police- but no luck on that yet.

The officer did not take any of our names before rushing off looking for the woman. Nor did the return in the 20 minutes after that we all stood outside theorizing and talking. I think it was the right thing to do in the moment to speed off looking for her once he got the little info we had.

The officer with whom I spoke on the phone just now was helpful and understanding- it did feel like they'd done the best they could. She questioned if I thought perhaps it could have been a domestic dispute, which would explain why no one ever heard anything again. I absolutely - in my bones- know this was not a woman screaming at an attacker she knew. My four house mates and I thought that it was blood curdling. Also, we heard a very loud pop much like a fender bender when it all began- another strange detail.

Comments (9)

Those were some bone-chilling screams. She just screamed “There’s someone in my car. I’m being attacked!” It sounds like the car hit something as well. I walked around a bit looking for paint transfer or damage to other cars but couldn’t find anything. Another neighbor found a pair of shoes that may or may not have been the victims.

I really hope she is ok.

Thanks for posting this info. My husband and I woke up to the terrifying screams and immediately called 911. By the time we looked outside, we saw no one except other neighbors and eventually the 2 patrol cars. Hoping the woman is alright. We’ve been haunted by this all day.

Doesn’t sound like such an underwhelming response after all.

The next Neighborhood Watch meeting is Monday night at 7pm

I agree the police response was incredibly underwhelming. I called to follow up at 5am and was told by 911 that there was no record of a call made for anything on San Carlos. I was put through to Mission Police Station where again they knew nothing. I got a call back at 6am saying that after ten minutes of driving around the cops moved on to other business.

So far myself and other residents have done more to help that the cops have. Local restaurants Hog and Rocks, Rodgers and Raddish are all checking surveillance cameras. This is all resident driven research, no cops have approached any of those establishments.

I have researched cameras from Rodgers and found the car. small red car. it rounds in from 20th at hits the first lampost. the lights keep turning off and on. it drives in bursts down the street.

Police at Mission Station just treated me like a pest when I called.

http://missionlocal.org/2012/08/campos-kicks-off-re-election-campaign/co…

this guy.

He needs a swift kick in the ass and Mission Locals need to wield the boot. I’m opting for steelcaps.

This Supervisor, whose district is the Mission, is responsible for the street lights, speed bumps, cameras and other tools that can help make this district safer.

He isn’t doing a thing, so far.

Please help me remind him how important we are.

Email AND call.

Let him know that this area needs MORE STREET LIGHTING (especially on Capp, San Carlos and Lexington Streets, from 24-16th.

Tell him we need SPEED HUMPS along San Carlos and Lexington (from 21-17th)

Tell him that there need to be consistant foor petrols from police, day and night.

Tell him that when concerned citizens call for help they want to be taken seriously and followed up with. Or there will be a vigilante state alongside this one of gang warfare.

City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244
San Francisco, Ca 94102-4689
(415) 554-5144 - Voice
(415) 554-6255 - Fax
David.Campos@sfgov.org

Aides: Sheila Chung Hagen, Hillary Ronen

email contact form: http://www.sfbos.org/index.aspx?page=2129

Campos’s biggest donor is a Mission District condo developer that refuses to build affordable housing, so there’s that.

Nice, great argument there. Then tell me, what exactly has he done that is so great? What has he done to improve the neighborhood? So far, we’ve heard that his staffers are responsive and have a nice phone or email manner. What else? What has he done to improve conditions down on the street?

I saw the SFPD impounding a grey, 4-door VW on Valencia St by 15th this evening. It had front end damage and was missing the front license plate.