Man charged with murder in fatal SoMa hit-and-run after sidewalk dispute

Video shows fatal SoMa hit-and-run of pedestrian

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: Video captured the moments an driver struck and killed a 74-year-old before fleeing the scene.

SAN FRANCISCO - A verbal dispute over a blocked sidewalk may have escalated into a deadly hit-and-run Monday afternoon in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, according to prosecutors.

Valantino Cash Amil, 30, was charged Thursday with murder and one count of fleeing the scene of an accident. The murder charge includes an allegation that Amil used a deadly weapon to commit the crime, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said.

Amil remains in custody without bail.

The collision

Dig deeper:

The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. near Mission Street and South Van Ness Avenue. Prosecutors said Amil was driving a black 2024 Mercedes-Benz E350 and had just finished filling up at a Chevron station. As he attempted to merge into traffic, his vehicle partially blocked the sidewalk.

Dannielle Spillman, 74, was walking along the sidewalk and seemed to "take exception" to the vehicle blocking her path, the district attorney’s office said in a news release. 

Authorities said Amil and Spillman exchanged words as she walked from the driver’s side toward the front of the car. While in front of the vehicle, Spillman allegedly poured liquid from a water bottle onto the hood of the Mercedes.

Featured

article

Driver accused of killing 2-year-old pedestrian charged by San Francisco D.A.

A woman has been charged with vehicular manslaughter for a crash that killed a 2-year-old pedestrian in San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood in February.

Amil then accelerated into Spillman, knocking her onto the hood and windshield, prosecutors said. After driving several feet, Amil slowed down, causing Spillman to slide off and land directly in front of the car.

Amil then allegedly drove over her and fled the scene.

Spillman was pronounced dead at the scene 10 minutes later. Amil was arrested nearly two hours after the incident.

Remembering Dannielle Spillman

What they're saying:

While the medical examiner has not yet publicly identified the victim, those who knew her identified her as Spillman, a transgender woman who had lived in San Francisco for more than 20 years.

Derrick Guerra, a case manager at the Shanti Project, said Spillman had been his client for nearly a year. He described her as a woman who loved playing guitar and talking about music.

Featured

article

'Car-tastrophe': Avoid the Bay Bridge at all costs this weekend

The department "strongly urged" motorists to avoid the stretch of freeway as the work is completed, and advised travelers to consider public transportation.

Guerra said that Spillman recently shared that she felt San Francisco was safer for trans women in the 90s than it is today.

"She was telling me recently she was nearly assaulted and that a man had recently tried to hit her," Guerra said.

Spillman’s death marks the eighth pedestrian fatality in San Francisco this year.

Guerra said a vigil is currently being planned in her honor.