Man busted in GoCar theft after quarter-mile chase in SF

Police officers swarmed a man early Tuesday who allegedly jumped into a three-wheel GoCar sightseeing vehicle and drove off with it in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, employees said.

The theft occurred about 10 a.m. at GoCar Tours near the intersection of Mason and O’Farrell streets, said Matthew Sheble, a director of operations at the tour agency. But with the GoCar capable of a maximum speed of 40 mph, it didn’t take police long to to catch the culprit.

The suspect, who was not identified, jumped into a small, yellow, two-seat car as customers who had rented the vehicle were putting on their helmets, Sheble said.

“The guy just jumped in and within ten seconds it was gone,” Sheble said.

A man was arrested in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco after allegedly stealing a GoCar, witnesses said. A man was arrested in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco after allegedly stealing a GoCar, witnesses said. Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Man busted in GoCar theft after quarter-mile chase in SF 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

As the GoCar thief drove off, he was quickly stopped by a flock of police on bikes and in patrol cars at the intersection of Mission and Fifth streets, less than a quarter mile from where the theft occurred.

Onlookers stood by as officers ordered the suspect out of the three-wheeler with his hands in the air. At about 10:40 a.m., the suspect sat handcuffed on the curb on Fifth Street as officers surrounded him.

Greg Fuentes, a 29-year-old Brentwood resident, said he was getting ready to work on installing phone lines nearby when he heard sirens and saw the arrest unfold.

It was “probably one of the funniest things I’ve seen,” Fuentes said. “All the cops were laughing.”

And it wasn’t hard to get the driver to stop, the car wasn’t going very fast, he added.

“Probably as fast as that little car can go,” Fuentes said, chuckling.

GoCar Tours offer customers a GPS-guided tour through the city.

“We’ve had one other instance like this of someone jumping into the car this year,” Sheble said. “It’s very infrequent.”

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani