An SFPD patrol car. San Francisco police said thieves made off with catalytic converters taken from several of the Police Department’s own vehicles this week.
San Francisco police said thieves made off with catalytic converters taken from the Police Department’s own vehicles this week.
Around 1 p.m. on Monday, a San Francisco police officer discovered that a marked police truck parked on Potrero Hill in San Francisco had its catalytic converter stolen.
After inspecting other police vehicles, the officer saw that several other marked police vehicles had their catalytic converters stolen, Police Department spokespeople said.
The thefts occurred near a Police Department-leased building surrounded by numerous police cars and vans at 17th and De Haro streets. In total, four department vehicles — two trucks and two vans — had their converters stolen, according to the Police Department.
The thefts were first reported by Mission Local.
No arrests have been made and it remains an open investigation, the Police Department said.
Catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed across the Bay Area, particularly during the pandemic, as shelter-in-place orders left more cars sitting vulnerable in streets and driveways. Thieves can often remove the devices in minutes.
Just hours before the police vehicles were targeted, a San Francisco police officer was injured and hospitalized while chasing suspects who had stolen a converter, department spokespersons confirmed.
Officers responded to a report of a catalytic converter theft at the 400 block of Chestnut Street in the Marina district at around 5:08 a.m. Monday morning. The victim told officers two people stole his converter and fled in a vehicle.
After officers spotted the vehicle and attempted to stop it, the driver fled, hitting one of the officers in their car.
Officers chased the suspects, who struck both parked and occupied vehicles and eventually took off on foot. Officers detained a female suspect, but a man was still at large, Police Department spokespersons said.
No other injuries were reported aside from the officer, who had non-life threatening injuries. This too, remains an open investigation. Anyone with information in either case is asked to call the San Francisco Police Department Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.
Annie Vainshtein (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avainshtein@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @annievain
Annie is a reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. She previously was a digital producer for The Chronicle's Datebook section. She graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2017 with a degree in journalism. During her time there, she spearheaded a culture column, produced radio pieces for NPR-affiliate station KCBX, and was a DJ and writer for KCPR, the campus radio station. Before joining the Chronicle, she was an associate producer at SFGATE and interned at VICE and Flood Magazine. She's particularly interested in communities and scenes that are often misunderstood.