SAN FRANCISCO—Officials from the San Francisco Police Department have arrested the suspect responsible for several auto thefts throughout the SF region, and who also attempted to run down a police officer. According to a press release from the SFPD, on November 5 at 4:19 p.m. officers from the SFPD received a report of a stolen vehicle at Webster and Pine Street.
The victim was identified as a 43 year-old male from Daly City who indicated while at a stopped red light, the suspect opened his car door and dragged him out of the vehicle. The suspect fled the scene and there were no reports of any injuries to the victim.
On November 7, at approximately 12:29 a.m., uniformed San Francisco Police officers driving a marked SFPD radio car spotted the stolen Honda at the fueling pumps of a gas station located on the 1500 block of Van Ness Avenue. As the primary officers approached the vehicle, the suspect shifted into reverse and sped away with the pump’s fueling nozzle still attached to the vehicle.
Additional uniformed officers responded to the gas station on foot. As the suspect drove in reverse through the gas station, the vehicle was headed directly towards one of the other officers who had to move quickly to avoid being struck by the car. The suspect fled the scene and evaded arrest. The Honda was recovered at approximately 3:00 a.m. on November 7, parked and unattended on the unit bock of Leavenworth Street.
Through the course of an investigation which included the dissemination of crime alerts, the suspect was identified. On November 16, at approximately 2:14 a.m., uniformed SFPD officers saw a black Ford parked inside a gas station located at Franklin and Turk Street. The Ford was reported stolen from the 900 block of Franklin Street on November 11 at 8:40 p.m. and the officers recognized the vehicle as one in which a suspect had from officers earlier in the evening. The officers spotted a subject matching the one wanted from the November 7 incident walking away from the Ford. As officers closed in to detain the subject, he fled on foot, but was swiftly taken into custody.
Daniel Haile Zeru, 33, of Hayward was booked at San Francisco County Jail on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, possession of stolen property, and vandalism in connection with the November 7 incident. Zeru was also booked on charges of auto theft, possession of stolen property, evading a peace officer, resisting or delaying a peace officer, driving on a suspended license and a probation violation in connection with the incident on November 16.
The case remains an open investigation for the SFPD. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. Tipsters may remain anonymous.
