Man shot by SFPD officers during gunbattle after traffic stop
Mike Koozmin/The SF Examiner
Shooting: Investigators probe the scene of Wednesday's Larkin Street shooting; the suspect suffered life-threatening injuries.
A man was shot by police officers during a gun battle in broad daylight Wednesday in the Lower Nob Hill neighborhood, police said.
The man, who hasn't been identified, opened fire on police on Larkin Street after a routine traffic stop on Bush Street about 1:30 p.m., police Chief Greg Suhr said.
Two officers chased the man onto Larkin Street after he bolted from the car. At one point, he turned around and fired a .380-caliber handgun at an officer at least twice, Suhr said. At least one officer fired back, the chief said.
The suspect was shot in the upper torso, police said. Two witnesses who spoke with The San Francisco Examiner corroborated the police report that the suspect fired at cops first.
The man was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with life-threatening injuries, cops said.
At the crime scene, police found the identification card of a wanted parolee, but it wasn't immediately known if it belongs to the suspect, Suhr said. A gun also was recovered.
A female passenger who was in the suspect's car hopped into the driver's seat and fled. Cops said they know her from the neighborhood and are searching for her, Suhr said.
Witness Hamood Al Badani, 51, said the shootout erupted while he was in the crosswalk on Bush Street crossing Larkin Street. Al Badani said the suspect was shooting errantly at the officers.
"[The suspect] shot like five or six times," Al Badani said, adding that at one point he stood only 5 feet from him. "He was shooting like a crazy — he had no control."
Al Badani said he's from Michigan and had just arrived for a visit to San Francisco on Wednesday. He said the gunfire did not scare him.
"I was just in Yemen," he said.
A pool of blood could be seen in the street where the suspect was shot, and police had cordoned off the area.
Suhr said police officers were justified in defending themselves against the gunman. Surveillance footage in the area caught some of the interaction, but it wasn't clear if the shooting was filmed, according to police.
The cops were about 25 feet from the suspect when they opened fire, police said.
"I think the officers did a fantastic job," Suhr said.
maldax@sfexaminer.com
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