S.F. pedestrian dies, 2nd hurt as robbery suspects elude police

This car was hit by robbery suspects who were fleeing from police at 8th and Harrison in San Francisco, on Friday, April 10, 2015. The driver and passenger were not seriously injured. This car was hit by robbery suspects who were fleeing from police at 8th and Harrison in San Francisco, on Friday, April 10, 2015. The driver and passenger were not seriously injured. Photo: Micaela Davis Photo: Micaela Davis Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close S.F. pedestrian dies, 2nd hurt as robbery suspects elude police 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

A woman died and a second pedestrian was injured when they were hit by a carload of robbery suspects who escaped after a wild chase by San Francisco police, authorities said Saturday.

Bridget Klecker, 42, of San Francisco was hit in the crosswalk at California and Kearny streets in the Financial District and later died at San Francisco General Hospital, the city’s medical examiner’s office said. A second pedestrian was struck at a different location during the chase but is expected to survive, police said.

The harrowing sequence began about 9:55 p.m. Friday when three men committed the latest in a spate of armed holdups that have taken place across the city in the past few days, including at least two others earlier in the evening, said Officer Grace Gatpandan, a San Francisco police spokeswoman.

Seconds after the men held up a victim at Clay and Larkin streets, an officer spotted the suspects’ vehicle, a black 2013 Toyota Corolla, traveling north on Leavenworth Street near Pine Street, Gatpandan said.

Officers tried to pull the car over at California and Mason streets, but the men took off and led police on a chase, Gatpandan said.

SFPD chasing a driver in the Tenderloin: pic.twitter.com/NnUM7MGjNE — Patrick Traughber (@ptraughber) April 11, 2015

A few blocks later, the Toyota hit Klecker at California and Kearny streets, police said, fatally injuring her.

“I need an ambulance Code 3. The suspect vehicle hit this person, and she went flying,” an officer reported on the police radio.

The Toyota did not stop after the crash and streaked through the city before striking a second pedestrian at Post and Powell streets near Union Square, police said.

“Just hit a ped on Powell,” an officer reported. The victim was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

The men continued to Eighth and Harrison streets in the South of Market neighborhood, where the Toyota struck a car, Gatpandan said. The Toyota again fled the scene and briefly headed east on Interstate 80 before getting off on Fourth Street, police said.

One of the passengers in the car that was struck, Micaela Davis, a 35-year-old San Francisco resident, said the incident was shocking. Davis, the driver and another passenger were heading west on Harrison Street shortly after 10 p.m. As they crossed the Eighth Street intersection on a green light, they saw the speeding Toyota run a red light.

“It was one of those unreal experiences to see a car speeding in the intersection at us like that,” she said.

The driver of the car with Davis swerved in an attempt to avoid the vehicle, but the Toyota slammed into the front right side of the car, she said. It was totaled, but none of the individuals was injured, Davis said.

The driver, she said, was “able to avoid what could have been a pretty bad accident.” Police officers stopped to collect statements and make sure they were all right.

Officers lost the Toyota in the South of Market area, Gatpandan said. It was later found abandoned and unoccupied on Treasure Island. A check confirmed that it had been reported stolen, she said.

Police recovered two guns that apparently had been tossed out of the Toyota by the men at Stockton and California streets, Gatpandan said. The earlier robberies occurred at Sixth and Folsom streets and at Gough and Chestnut streets, she added.

Many of Klecker’s friends gathered Saturday to mourn her loss and celebrate her character, said Kristine Mendoza, a 35-year-old Oakland resident who described Klecker as her close friend for more than a decade.

“She was the light in the room. She was hilarious and incredibly intelligent, caring, generous and extremely talented — and just full of life,” she said. “She was my favorite person in the world.”

Mendoza said Klecker was an ardent San Francisco Giants fan and the two had planned to attend Monday’s home opener together. The ballpark, Mendoza said, was Klecker’s happy place ever since she attended Game 1 of the 2010 World Series.

“Two weeks from today we were supposed to be on a flight to Mexico,” she said, adding that Klecker was “very much” looking forward to the trip.

“I just kept saying that this can’t be real, this just can’t be real,” she said.

According to her friends, Klecker lived in the Outer Sunset and worked as the operations manager for Bon Appetit Management Co., which offers food services to companies such as Google. Klecker was in the Financial District having dinner with friends from out of town Friday evening, Mendoza said.

“I want people to know that the world lost one of its most amazing people,” she said.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Anonymous Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411, with “SFPD” at the beginning of the message.

Henry K. Lee and Hamed Aleaziz are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com, haleaziz@sfchronicle.com