SFPD Southern Station Officers Make Arrest in Hate Crime Incident

On Friday, March 17 at approximately 7:22 PM San Francisco Police officers responded to a report of a man threatening to shoot a victim in the area of 4th & Howard Streets. Upon arrival, officers began a search of the area for the suspect and made contact with the victim.

The victim, an adult female, told the officers that at approximately 7:20 PM, she had been playing with her toddler son in the park. The victim was wearing a veil traditionally worn by Muslim women. The suspect approached her and made anti-Muslim remarks and threatened to shoot her. The victim and her son fled the area to get away from the suspect. A short time later, two on-duty sergeants detained a man who matched the suspect description several blocks away from the site of the incident. Joshua Ruano, a 27 year-old, male, San Francisco resident was identified as the man who threatened the victim and was arrested.

Ruano was booked into San Francisco County Jail on charges of criminal threats with a hate crime enhancement and other unrelated charges.

Although there has been an arrest made, investigators are asking anyone with information on this case to contact the San Francisco Police anonymously at 415-575-4444 or text-a-tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.