SFPD Drone Tracks Suspected Stolen Car That Flipped in Bayview

Drone video posted by the San Francisco Police Department and shown by CBS captures a red Hyundai pulling into the Exploratorium parking lot at Green and Front streets and a suspect smashing the rear side window of a black SUV to remove several pieces of luggage. CBS’s clip shows one suspect breaking the window while a second helps load four pieces of luggage into the Hyundai, items that investigators later recovered; CBS reported at least one passport was returned to the victims.

The department’s Flock automated license plate reader system flagged the red Hyundai, with text in the SFPD video noting an Aug. 22 ALPR alert identifying the vehicle as linked to an auto break-in the day before. SFPD’s Real-Time Investigation Center used a drone to follow the Hyundai while ground units coordinated a stop, according to CBS and the department’s social posts. CBS reported the drone tracking “avoided the need for a police pursuit” and that officers on the ground disabled the Hyundai with a spike strip.

After the vehicle was disabled, video shows people running from the crash scene and additional officers taking suspects into custody. CBS’s footage shows three suspects fleeing on foot before being detained; the network also reported that all three suspects were armed with loaded handguns and that burglary tools were found among the recovered evidence. SFPD posted an image of a suspect vehicle and a firearm seized in the case.

The sequence on the freeway is described in the department’s official account as follows: Bayview units located one of the suspect vehicles on northbound Highway 101 and attempted a traffic stop; the vehicle failed to yield and officers encountered a solo collision near the 7th Street exit. SFPD said officers observed a suspect jump off the freeway overpass and land “approximately 40 feet below onto 15th and Vermont St.” The department wrote, “The adult male suspect was taken into custody and was transported to the hospital for life-threatening injuries caused by the fall.”

Accounts disagree on some crash details and the number of suspects. An early report described two suspects crashing into a moped and other vehicles, flipping their car; an SFPD Facebook post said, “2 suspects fled on foot but were swiftly taken into custody - outstanding work by RTIC and Bayview Station officers. WATCH: On Feb 11, 2026,” while CBS and the SFPD drone video identify three people committing the parking-lot break-in and three suspects on the video. An Instagram post referenced a crash into a light pole and a Jan. 21 arrest in a separate brief pursuit.

The incident comes as the SFPD expands drone and ALPR use after the passage of Prop E; CBS noted ALPR cameras were installed across the city in March and that the department reported a 56 percent drop in auto burglaries between July 2023 and July 2024. SFPD materials also reference a related case titled “SFPD Arrests Commercial Burglary Suspect 24-139” and a Nov. 7, 2024 burglary at the 700 block of 22nd Street.

For now the department lists Bayview station as a primary contact at 1-415-671-2300 and SFPD Headquarters at 1245 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, general phone 1-415-837-7000. SFPD said it will release further case and booking details as investigations continue.