SAN FRANCISCO—On Friday, August 21, the San Francisco Police Department announced that several Navigation Center Employees were arrested for their role in harboring an attempted murder suspect who shot an officer in May.
The suspects, Oliver Barcenas, 36, and Erika Porter, 45, were booked in San Francisco County Jail on charges related to harboring gunman Norris Reed III on the night of May 31.
“Attempting to assist an armed gunman evade capture after shooting a police officer is unconscionable,” said Chief Lew. “Thankfully, our officers captured this violent suspect despite the efforts by two individuals to help him. I want to thank all our officers who took this dangerous suspect off our streets and our diligent investigators who followed up to hold the two navigation center employees accountable.”
It started on May 31, at approximately 10:29 p.m., when officers attempted to conduct a vehicle stop of a robbery suspect in the area of Mission and 1st Streets. The suspect driver fled through city streets before he crashed, and the vehicle became disabled in the area of Bayshore Boulevard and Jerrold Avenue.
When officers encountered the vehicle, the driver opened fire on officers and struck one officer multiple times. During the encounter, an officer-involved shooting transpired.
The suspect driver – Norris Reed III, 36, fled on foot from the scene to the nearby navigation center at 125 Bayshore Blvd., while officers rendered aid to the injured officer and the second injured suspect.
At 12:17 am, over an hour after Reed III fled the scene, dispatch received a call stating that the suspect was inside the gate of the navigation center. Officers responded to the fenced courtyard of the navigation center and placed Reed III under arrest. During the arrest, officers seized two firearms from the suspect’s waistband.
With help from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, officers reviewed surveillance footage from the navigation center showing Barcenas providing Reed III with clothing to conceal his identity despite knowing that he was in possession of a firearm when he entered the navigation center.
Officers earlier visited the navigation center while searching for the suspect, Porter gave false statements to the police to prevent the officers from locating him. An arrest warrant for Barcenas and Porter was obtained, and on Thursday, August 20, members of the SFPD Community Violence Reduction Team placed them both under arrest.
Barcenas is currently on Federal Probation for being felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. The injured officer was released from the hospital and is continuing to recover from her injuries. Reed III was charged with attempted murder and multiple felonies in connection with the shooting.
The SFPD is still investigating the case. Anyone with details should call the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or Text-A-Tip to TIP411.
