Officer Involved Shooting in the Richmond District

On March 15th at approximately 4:30 A.M., the San Francisco Police Department received a call regarding a suspect jumping on the roof of a taxi cab. The suspect was identified as Peter Russell, 25, San Francisco resident. The taxi cab driver, fearing for his safety, exited the taxi cab and fled. Russell stole the taxi cab and fled the area. The taxi cab was tracked by global positioning system (GPS) to the area of Jackson and Spruce Street.

Officers responded to the area and located the stolen taxi cab at the dead end of Spruce Street. As the officers approached Russell, he made a u-turn and drove the stolen taxi cab directly at the officers and their patrol vehicles. As the officers leaped out of the path of the oncoming vehicle, one officer fired his service weapon at Russell. The stolen taxi cab struck one of the patrol vehicles as it fled the area.

The taxi cab was tracked to the Fort Mason area and the abandoned taxi cab was located near Octavia and Bay Streets. Russell was located nearby and arrested without incident. Russell was booked into San Francisco County Jail on the following charges: carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon against a police officer and driving while under the influence.