Prolific violent offender apprehended with a loaded firearm after attempting to gain entry into a local elementary school 21-164

SFPD officers safely conclude a high-risk encounter with Brandon Paillett after a 911 caller reported an armed, mentally disturbed person accosting children, parents outside school

A prolific and frequently violent criminal offender has been arrested again, this time after San Francisco police officers responded to a 911 call Tuesday afternoon about an armed suspect who was accosting children and their parents outside of a local elementary school. A separate witness to the incident also confirmed to police officers that the suspect attempted to gain entry to the school through a side entrance several times.

On Aug. 31, 2021, at approximately 4:11 p.m., San Francisco police officers from Park District Station responded to what a 911 caller described as a mentally disturbed and potentially armed adult male making threatening gestures and incoherent statements to parents who were picking up their children from an elementary school at Grove and Cole Streets.

Arriving on scene, officers encountered 39-year-old Brandon Paillett of San Francisco and asked if he was armed. Despite stating, “I have no weapons,” Mr. Paillett evaded being searched and sought to gain control of a loaded revolver that had fallen from his jacket pocket after throwing his backpack at responding officers. One officer used force in the encounter, drawing and pointing his department-issued handgun before officers were able to safely take Mr. Paillett into custody and secure the loaded Smith and Wesson .38 Special weapon in his possession.

In July, Mr. Paillett was featured in a KTVU-TV Fox-2 news segment after unlawfully entering a disabled woman’s home just days after his release from jail for prior offenses. That offense also took place in SFPD’s Park Police District.

The July 23 story by journalist Evan Sernoffsky, which included a jail-based interview with Mr. Paillett, was entitled, “Man arrested after breaking into San Francisco home has been in and out of jail for 20 years.” View the Fox-2 segment.

For the Aug. 31 incident, officers booked Mr. Paillett into San Francisco County Jail a short time later for the following offenses:

• Possession of a firearm on school grounds, 626.9(B) PC (felony);
• Possession of firearm by a felon, 29800(A)(1) PC (felony);
• Possession of ammunition by a felon, 30305(A)(1) PC (felony);
• Carrying loaded firearm by a prohibited person, 25850(A) PC (felony); and
• Post-Release Community Supervision probation violation 3455(A) PC (felony).

Although an arrest has been made in this incident, it remains an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.