3 robbery suspects in custody after wild chase in SF

KTVU - A wild chase through San Francisco streets ended Saturday with two crashes and the capture of three armed robbery suspects.

"It's Halloween and we're just getting ready for our own bar hopping," witness John Kim told KTVU, at 17th Street and Mississippi, where the chase ended. "Then we saw about five or six cops all surrounding this guy who was on the ground. "

Kim and his friends looked down the block to see a sedan upside down, groceries flung all over the street.

That car belonged to an innocent driver who was slammed into by robbers with police on their tail.

After crashing, the suspects jumped out and scattered, but officers ran after them.

"I saw somebody run and the cops all tackled him, and even the police guys were falling and out of breath," described Kim.

"These three individuals were violent, clearly by doing a take over armed robbery," SFPD Officer Albie Esparza told KTVU.

The three suspects were wanted for robbing a business in the Sunset District, at gunpoint.

An hour later, officers spotted their vehicle in the Tenderloin neighborhood and the chase was on.

Before crashing in Potrero Hill, the fleeing car plowed into a parking control officer downtown- and flipped the three-wheel Cushman onto its side. The pursuit continued south of Market Street.

"It was our duty to apprehend those people as soon as possible, " explained Officer Esparza, "and thankfully, there aren't serious injuries. It could have been a lot worse. A lot of people are out, especially in downtown San Francisco, and on Halloween night."

The suspects hit a third car as well, before they jumped out and ran. It was parked, and its owner was taking an art class a few floors up.

"I looked out the window and I saw someone's car flipped over completely, and a lady crawling out of it," the car owner told KTVU. "I saw the police rescue her and she looked like she was in total shock."

All of this happened before dusk, and the emergence of trick or treaters on the streets. But a high speed chase, a few miles long, had some residents wondering about safety.

"We're not on a highway, there's lots of pedestrians, bike riders and people walking their dogs," witness Esther May told KTVU, "so it's scary but at the same time, I'm grateful because the police reacted so quickly."

The suspects weapons were recovered, and the three were taken to the hospital.

Their injuries are not life-threatening, and neither are those of the two people in their path.

The parking control officer suffered cuts and abrasions.

Witnesses said the other driver appeared to suffer a broken leg.