Emeryville

After Tourist Shot Near Lombard Street, More Cops Could Be Hitting San Francisco Streets

A man from Thailand is recovering after being shot in the arm

The shooting and robbery of a tourist near Lombard Street is likely to lead to more officers on the streets of San Francisco.

That's the message delivered at a news conference Wednesday afternoon, a day after the man from Thailand was robbed of his camera then shot near the corner of Lombard and Jones streets in the Russian Hill neighborhood, only about a block from the famous crooked section of Lombard.

The city has already approved more funds to hire police. Police Chief Greg Suhr said next year at this time there will be 200 more officers patrolling the streets.

A tour bus driver says the victim was part of a group of military pilots from Royal Thai Air Force. The pilot fought the thief for his camera and was shot in the arm, police said.

"Thank God he's OK," Andres said. "The bullet penetrated his left arm, came out the other side. Hoping there is no bone fracture or injury, just flesh."

The tour group was in town to see the city.

Police chased the gunman and another suspect in a car across the Bay Bridge to Oakland. The chase ended when the driver crashed the car.

Police arrested one man. The other took off but was later caught in someone's backyard.

Eric Anthony Espanol, 25, and Brian Fox, 24, both of San Francisco, were arrested near the Oakland-Emeryville border, according to San Francisco police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza.
The tourist was walking west on Lombard Street toward the crooked section when a suspect approached him and took his camera. The suspect ran east on Lombard and the tourist ran after him, police said.

A second suspect arrived in a dark car and one of the two men shot the tourist in the upper torso. Both suspects then sped away in the car, according to police.

As police officers were arriving, they saw the suspect vehicle fleeing toward the Bay Bridge. San Francisco police officers pursued them to the bridge with the assistance of the California Highway Patrol, police said.

The suspects exited the freeway and stopped the car in the 1000 block of 60th Street near the Oakland-Emeryville border, police said. The two men got out of the car and ran. Espanol was quickly arrested on 60th Street near San Pablo Avenue but Fox fled into the neighborhood, according to police.

The surrounding streets were shut down while police from multiple agencies searched the area for about three hours.

Oakland police said shortly after 3 p.m. that the second suspect was arrested.

Both men were booked into jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, conspiracy, and resisting an officer, Esparza said.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

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