2 arrested after SUV driver evading police crashes into parklet, hospitalizing 6

SAN FRANCISCO - Six people were hospitalized, some with critical injuries, after an SUV being pursued by police crashed into a parklet outside a busy sports pub in San Francisco's Mission District on Super Bowl Sunday.

The San Francisco Police Department responded about 3:05 p.m. to Buckingham Way and Winston Drive near the Stonestown Galleria on reports of a wanted vehicle and attempted to stop it in the area, the SFPD told KTVU.

The suspects in the Audi Q7 refused to stop for officers, leading police on a pursuit to the Mission District where the car knocked down a light pole at 24th and Mission streets, sideswiped an elderly couple and struck several people in the Napper Tandy's parklet at the corner of 24th Street and South Van Ness Avenue, witnesses said.

6 injured

What we know:

Two of the people injured in the crash were taken to a hospital in critical condition, while the remaining four were reported to be in moderate condition, the San Francisco Fire Department told KTVU. Firefighters were called to the scene at about 3:45 p.m.

A car being pursued by the SFPD crashed into a Mission District parklet, injuring six people. (Jaden Schaul)

Newly elected Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who represents the Mission District, told KTVU a mother and her child were among the injured, though their condition and the age of the child were not shared.

"It was a miracle, considering that this parklet is completely totaled," Fielder said. 

The supervisor said she wants to learn more about the underlying reason for the chase. In March, voters approved a measure that allowed police to chase suspects in more circumstances. "If it was something less than an imminent threat to someone’s life, I think it’s worth asking if it’s worth it sending six people to the hospital," Fielder said.

Eddie Stiel, who witnessed the initial crash at 24th and Mission agreed, saying, "I don’t really get why there’s a high-speed police chase on Super Bowl Sunday in the middle of Mission Street, like, I mean that seems really reckless to me."

Suspects

What's next:

Two women were arrested following the crash, though no further details were immediately available.

Cleanup crews are at the scene to clear wood debris from the damaged parklet and the public was advised to avoid the area, the SFFD said. 

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated voters gave SFPD more power to chase suspects in a November vote. The vote happened in March.