San Francisco DA Brooke Jenkins will NOT charge suspect who shot and injured six in gun battle

A man arrested in connection with a Father’s Day shootout between two cars in crime-riddled San Francisco that lasted about a mile and injured six people is not charged by the San Francisco district attorney.

Brooke Jenkins is not currently pursuing charges against 33-year-old Lee Alexander Haywood, who was arrested Wednesday in connection with the shooting.

His office spoke of the need for further investigation into what they considered a “complex” shooting and left open whether Haywood could face charges in the future.

“This is a complex investigation involving multiple crime scene locations, numerous witnesses as well as important evidence that needs to be analyzed,” she said.

“This type of investigation takes time, and we are working with the SFPD to ensure that they gather all the relevant evidence we need to assess this case and make the appropriate charging decisions.”

Gunfire broke out along the Embarcadero – the city’s eastern shoreline – around 7 p.m. local time last Sunday.

People driving a black SUV and a white sedan began shooting at each other as they made their way to Pier 39, police said.

They eventually shot and injured two young girls who were riding their bicycles across the street. One had to be hospitalized.

At least three other people were injured by shards of glass hit by their bullets. A young girl was also injured after being hit by one of the vehicles involved in the shooting, police said.

The black SUV eventually came to a stop as the white sedan drove away, authorities said.

Police found and detained Haywood, along with a 28-year-old woman who has not yet been identified.

Both were hospitalized as a result of the gunshots, Haywood with life-threatening injuries. The woman has since been released while Haywood remains in hospital.

Haywood was charged with negligent discharge of a firearm, wanted as a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, and carrying a concealed firearm.

Gunfire broke out along the Embarcadero – the city’s east side – around 7 p.m. local time last Sunday.

People driving a black SUV and a white sedan began shooting at each other as they drove towards Pier 39, police said.

They eventually shot and injured two young girls who were riding their bicycles across the street. One had to be hospitalized

The black SUV eventually came to a stop as the white sedan pulled away, authorities said

Police found and detained Haywood, along with a 28-year-old woman who has not yet been identified

He also had a separate warrant outstanding for alleged cocaine possession in a separate county.

Jenkins said the “shocking” shooting “must be fully investigated to ensure we are able to hold the perpetrators accountable”.

It comes as crime has remained a problem in San Francisco, with violent crime rising 5.5% since it ousted former boss Chesa Boudin as district attorney last year, according to The messenger.

In response to the city’s drug and crime epidemic, the Mayor of London Breed this month launched a police crackdown targeting outdoor drug use.

The initiative led to the rapid arrest of 45 people, but San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said the arrests were indicative of a larger problem.

He said only three of those arrested were San Francisco residents, proving that soft-on-crime policies have made the city a hub for out-of-town vagrants.

“I’ve talked to people and asked them why they chose to do it here. I got answers like, drugs are cheap and readily available, and you have an environment where it’s allowed,’ he said at a police board conference last Wednesday.

Homicides rose 9.5% in the first five and a half months of 2023, with robberies rising 13.2%. Total crime is down 5.1 percent.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has launched the demolition of the abandoned Westfield Mall as a solution to the city’s untamed drug and crime epidemic

San Francisco’s Westfield mall could be leveled following the city’s out-of-control crime wave

A map reveals the top companies that have left or are planning to leave San Francisco in recent months. Westfield, the most recent to announce its departure, will abandon its huge shopping center – and several occupants have already indicated their intention to follow

Analysis of official numbers and other research reveals San Francisco could lose hundreds of millions of dollars due to corporate exodus and inability to recover from COVID

The city has seen a mass exodus of businesses due to rampant crime in the city, with Westfield the latest to flee after announcing he has been forced to stop making mortgage payments due to the loss of activity.

San Francisco’s Westfield Mall is the perfect example of the city’s dramatic downfall, where the once bustling center is now a drug-infested wasteland.

In 2016 the property was valued at $1.2 billion, but a steep decline has seen the mall hit by years of looting, soft policing and outdoor drug taking.

The mall’s anchor tenant, Nordstrom, announced it was leaving the location in August. At the time, Westfield blamed “unsafe conditions” and a “lack of enforcement against rampant criminal activity” for the departure.

Once Nordstrom vacates the mall, it will only be 55% leased.