SF driver arrested in bizarre hit-and-run that killed 1, injured 4

A man was arrested Wednesday in San Francisco after a morning hit-and-run crash killed one person and injured four others in the Dogpatch neighborhood, police said.

But the circumstances of the case remained murky, with police saying that the driver “struck five subjects with his vehicle” after a dispute and fight in the street.

One man hit by the vehicle died from his injuries at noon, said Brent Andrew, a San Francisco General Hospital spokesman. Three of the injured were in serious condition and another in fair condition, Andrew said.

Police said the driver, who was not identified, barreled into the pedestrians at about 10:30 a.m. near Illinois and 24th streets.

Officers work the scene following a hit-and-run incident that left four people with life-threatening injuries near 24th and Illinois streets Wednesday, March 28, 2018 in San Francisco, Calif. Officers work the scene following a hit-and-run incident that left four people with life-threatening injuries near 24th and Illinois streets Wednesday, March 28, 2018 in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 43 Caption Close SF driver arrested in bizarre hit-and-run that killed 1, injured 4 1 / 43 Back to Gallery

Sources familiar with the investigation told The Chronicle that police are investigating whether the victims were hit after they tried to break into the driver’s vehicle. But a man who witnessed the incident said the driver was clearly the aggressor.

The industrial area where the incident took place was listed as a hot spot for auto burglaries in a recent Chronicle investigation.

Officer Robert Rueca, a San Francisco police spokesman, confirmed the arrest but said he was not aware of an auto burglary being connected to the hit-and-run.

The vehicle was traveling north on Illinois when it hit the five people on the sidewalk, according to police radio communications. At one point during the incident, the driver reportedly got out of the vehicle carrying an ax.

“There is a major incident going on at 24th and Illinois,” a dispatcher said. “Suspect with an ax, probably some people already dead.”

Police officers converged on the scene and blocked off the roads.

A man who said he had been walking his dog 25 feet from the crash, and declined to be identified, said the driver yelled at the other men and repeatedly used a homophobic slur.

“They literally said, ‘Hey, how you doing?’” the witness said. “This guy (the driver) is crazy as can be. He goes off and just starts yelling.”

The dog-walker said that after the driver took an ax out of the vehicle, the men fought him off by hitting him with a belt before taking the ax away and chasing him back to the van.

The group continued walking on the sidewalk, the witness said. The driver swore and angrily started the vehicle too quickly, he said, killing the engine. The five men laughed, the witness said.

He said the driver started the car again and made a three-point turn.

“Guy goes full throttle and plows them down,” the witness said. “Totally brutal.”