SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A woman was robbed of her phone and then carjacked after being held up at knife point in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood Thursday night.
Passersby said Hickory Street turns very dark at night, and it appears criminals are catching on and taking advantage.
Mike Hall passes through there by car and on foot five days a week.
“And, I’ve noticed in this alley, there’s been a lot of broken glass from broken car windows, more so in the last couple of weeks,” Hall said.
At around 9:45 p.m. Thursday, a 59-year-old woman was subject to a frightening moment.
San Francisco police say while the victim was standing by her car, she was approached by two teenage boys, ranging between 16 and 18 years old.
“One of them asked her for the keys to her vehicle and he brandished a knife at the victim,” Officer Giselle Talkoff said.
Talkoff says after a brief struggle, the woman gave up the keys. But as she dialed 911, while the suspects jumped into her car, one of the carjackers grabbed her cellphone before she could get the call out.
“Both suspects jumped into the vehicle and two other suspects joined them, and they took off on Van Ness.”
The car was eventually recovered in the Mission District.
The suspects are still on the run.
In this case, the victim was not injured.
Nevertheless, it is a good reminder to park in the city with caution.
“I’d never park my car overnight here, and I’d certainly never leave anything visible,” Hall said. “You don’t know what’s going to tempt someone.”