SFPD Muni Task Force Makes Arrests in Strong-arm Robbery Investigations (17-121)
In early July 2017, the San Francisco Police Department's Muni Task Force (MTF) began an investigation into a series of strong-arm robberies occurring on San Francisco's Muni transit buses. MTF investigators worked with SFPD District Station investigators to identify similarities in suspect descriptions and criminal patterns. These robberies were occurring on Muni buses in the Tenderloin, Southern, Northern and Central Police Districts. The investigation led to the identity of the suspects involved in several of these brutal robberies, including two high profile cases that occurred on Muni buses near the intersection of Van Ness and McAllister Streets.
"Keeping San Francisco's Muni system safe is a high priority for the SFPD," said Police Chief William Scott. "Members of our Muni Task Force, Muni Response Team and MTA K-9Canine Unit work closely with MTA employees to help keep Muni safe and to investigate crimes when they do occur. The arrests made in these robbery cases are a direct reflection of this level of cooperation and spirit of team work between our agencies"
On July 19th, officers identified and arrested Clay Doss, a 19 year-old male, Antioch resident for his involvement in the below incident that occurred with several juveniles on MUNI. Doss, who was already in custody for an unrelated warrant, was also charged with possession of stolen property. Attached is Doss’ booking photo.
Investigators also made an arrest in the July 17th strong-arm robbery that occurred on a bus at Van Ness Avenue and McAllister Street. The male victim left one coach and boarded another, only to be followed by a pack of suspects who assaulted and robbed him of his cell phone. Investigators charged a 13 year-old, female, San Francisco resident and a 15 year-old, male, San Leandro resident with robbery and conspiracy. A 14 year-old, male, San Francisco resident was also identified and booked for robbery, conspiracy, and felony battery of a passenger on a transit vehicle.
On July 18th, a female victim was assaulted and robbed by a group of suspects while on a bus near Van Ness Avenue and McAllister Street. The suspects fled with the victim's phone but bystanders intervened and helped to recover the phone.
In this case, investigators identified a 15 year-old female, a 13 year-old female, and 13 year-old male, all San Francisco residents, as suspects in this case. Arrest warrants for robbery, felony battery and conspiracy are pending and the investigation is ongoing.
“Our enforcement staff works extremely hard with the San Francisco Police Department to make Muni safe for riders and employees,” said Ed Reiskin, Director of Transportation at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. “Crime has decreased over the years, due in part to cameras on all Muni vehicles that can record key evidence and be used to support police investigations, as well as using pertinent data to deploy resources more efficiently. We thank our partners at the Police Department for quickly responding to these incidents and making key arrests.”
Since these arrests begin, MTF investigators have noted a significant drop in the incidents of these “pack style” strong-arm robberies. While arrests have been made, these remain active and open investigations and investigators continue to work to identify outstanding suspects. Anyone with information on these investigations 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. You may remain anonymous.