SAN FRANCISCO—A San Francisco Police Department officer was injured after arresting suspect in the Mission District on September 9. According to a press release from the SFPD, at approximately 6:21 a.m. on September 9, the officer responded to a report of a naked male chasing people and throwing branches at pedestrians walking on the 3800 block of 25th Street.
The officer spotted the partially nude male, who was identified as Robert Mathew Kaplan, 37, of San Diego. Kaplan was talking to himself, where the officer later announced over the radio that he got into a physical fight with the suspect. Additional units arrived on the scene to provide aid to the officer. Three arriving officers on the scene struggled with Kaplan as they tried to handcuff him. More officers arrived on the scene, and authorities were able to sustain Kaplan and place him under arrest.
The initial officer who responded to the scene suffered an injury to his right eye when the suspect attempted to gouge out the officer’s eye. He also suffered a severe bite mark to his right cheek when the suspect attempted to bit the officer’s face. The officer also sustained cuts to his hands and abrasions to his forearms while trying to restrain the subject.
The suspect was charged with felony battery on a peace officer, felony battery causing serious bodily injury, felony assault with a deadly weapon, felony vandalism, felony aggravated mayhem, and obstructing and resisting a peace officer.
The SFPD Mission Station Investigators are seeking the assistance of the public in providing any cell phone video that may have captured the assault. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mission Station Investigation Team (SIT) during business hours at 415-558-5400, anonymously at the SFPD Tip Line at 415-575-4444 or Text-a-tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.
