S.F. police shoot, kill woman who drove car into ‘multiple’ vehicles

Two plainclothes officers shot and killed a woman Tuesday shortly after she rammed the car she was driving into “multiple” vehicles, struck a building and forced a motorcyclist off his bike, San Francisco police say.

The two officers approached a blue four-door sedan at a gas station near Pine Street and Van Ness Avenue at about 7:20 p.m., according to SFPD spokeswoman Officer Grace Gatpandan.

The officers, who were investigating a possible stolen vehicle, were wearing their badges and identified themselves as police officers as they approached, Gatpandan said.

That’s when police say the woman put the car in gear and drove toward the officers before making a three-point turn to exit the gas station.

The officers continued to pursue the woman on foot as she fled west on Pine, and then suddenly turned around to drive the wrong way on a one-way street.

She veered onto the sidewalk, Gatpandan said, striking a building and several parked vehicles near where the officers were standing.

The woman drove back into the middle of the street, striking additional cars and forcing a motorcyclist to ditch his bike to avoid a collision, police said, before hopping the curb once more.

“Fearing for their safety and other citizens present, the officers discharged their department-issued firearms,” Gatpandan said.

Once the vehicle stopped, officers administered first aid to the woman, according to police. She was the only occupant in the vehicle.

Preliminary information indicates at least two rounds were fired at the woman, Gatpandan said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman has not been identified.

The officers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into the shooting, Gatpandan said. A town hall meeting about the incident will be scheduled within the next week.

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