SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Police Department arrested a suspect who was driving recklessly in the Eureka Valley region damaging parking meters and sidewalk trees in the 400 block of Castro Street. Kenneth Rotter, 70, a transient who lives in his purple Dodge van, with his dog informed authorities he was having issues with his brakes at the time of the collision.
According to a press release from the SFPD, the incident occurred on Saturday, January 20 at approximately 3:12 p.m., when dispatchers at the SF Department of Emergency Management (DEM) received multiple 911 calls about a person driving recklessly on the sidewalk. Officers responded to the area and found the vehicle driving westbound on 18th Street toward Sanchez Street. The preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect drove his vehicle onto the sidewalk before backing into the front of a deli-market. He drove forward off the sidewalk onto the roadway and down 18th Street heading southbound.
Rotter drove around the block through intersections posted with arterial stop signs and at times drove on the wrong side of the roadway until he was halted and detained. There were no reports of pedestrians being struck or vehicles damaged.
Authorities impounded the van and it will be subject to an inspection to determine if there were any mechanical defects that may have contributed to the incident. San Francisco Animal Care and Control officers responded and took custody of the dog.
The California Highway Patrol helped with the investigation by providing an officer who is trained as a Drug Recognition Expert. The CHP officer arrived at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFGH) to determine Rotter’s sobriety status.
The San Francisco Fire Department examined the deli-market and ruled that there was no structural damage to the building. The Mission Station Investigation Team (SIT) has been assigned to the case. Rotter was booked at San Francisco County Jail on the charges of: aggravated assault, attempted murder, felony vandalism, hit and run, reckless driving, driving under the influence (drugs) and vehicle code violations. The SFPD has not released a booking photo due to pending identification matters.
