Tesla driver arrested after 1 killed in 7-car crash in San Francisco

A 66-year-old man was arrested after allegedly plowing his Tesla into multiple cars Sunday night, killing one person and a dog near 6th and Harrison streets.

The car crash happened around 6 p.m. Sunday and involved at least seven cars, including an unoccupied autonomous Waymo vehicle.

Suspect arrested

What we know:

The suspect, Jia Lin Zheng, was booked in the San Francisco County Jail Monday morning on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, vandalism and speeding, jail records show. Zheng declined a jailhouse interview Monday.

According to the San Francisco Fire Department, a victim was killed and seven others were hurt, including one who was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Local perspective:

"It was like a sonic boom, and car pieces ricocheted everywhere," Darius Davis, who was nearby at the time, said Sunday.

Crews were notified around 6:10 p.m. about the crash.

"I was listening to the EMT scanner and they were just calling and calling and calling for like backup medics and ambulances. It was just really bad," said Bonnie Pittock, who lives down the street from where the crash happened.

Officials said Sunday night that the surviving victims were being evaluated by paramedics. 

"It is a tragedy to lose someone on our streets, and our thoughts are with all those affected and their families. We hope those injured will make a full recovery," San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said about the incident. "Public safety has been my top priority from day one, and traffic safety is public safety."

The severity of injuries of the other victims are unknown. Officials said it's unclear if drugs or alcohol played a part in the collision. 

Dig deeper:

The California Highway Patrol is investigating a separate incident of four hit-and-runs on the I-280 off-ramp near 6th and Brannan streets, two blocks from the deadly crash, moments earlier.

The CHP said those crashes also involved a black Tesla. The victims suffered minor injuries.

Authorities are still working to see if the crashes are related, though a victim told KTVU the I-280 crashes and the 6th and Harrison Street crash involved the same black Tesla.

"We got hit from behind, which was really abrupt, obviously," said the victim, Reese Wallace, whose Nissan Versa was among cars hit on the off-ramp.

Wallace said the Tesla continued on the left shoulder, hitting other cars, before running a red light at Brannan and continuing north on 6th Street to Harrison.

The Source: San Francisco Fire Department, San Francisco Police Department, Waymo, CHP, previous KTVU reporting

San FranciscoCrime and Public Safety