SFPD Arrests Navigation Center Employees for Harboring Attempted Murder Suspect Who Shot Officer 26-105
Officers with the San Francisco Police Department arrested two employees of a city contracted navigation center for obstruction and harboring an attempted murder suspect who shot an SFPD officer in May, Chief Derrick Lew announced Friday.
The suspects, 36-year-old Oliver Barcenas and 45-year-old Erika Porter, were booked in San Francisco County Jail on charges related to harboring gunman Norris Reed III on the night of May 31.
“Attempting to assist an armed gunman evade capture after shooting a police officer is unconscionable,” Chief Lew said. “Thankfully, our officers captured this violent suspect despite the efforts by two individuals to help him. I want to thank all our officers who took this dangerous suspect off our streets and our diligent investigators who followed up to hold the two navigation center employees accountable.”
It began on May 31, 2026, at approximately 10:29 p.m., when SFPD officers attempted to conduct a vehicle stop of a robbery suspect in the area of Mission and 1st Streets.
The suspect driver fled through city streets before he crashed, and the vehicle became disabled in the area of Bayshore Boulevard and Jerrold Avenue.
When officers encountered the vehicle, the driver opened fire on SFPD officers and struck one officer multiple times. During the encounter, an officer-involved shooting occurred.
The suspect driver – identified as 36-year-old Norris Reed III – fled on foot from the scene to the nearby navigation center at 125 Bayshore Blvd. while officers rendered aid to the injured officer and the second injured suspect.
At 12:17 am, over an hour after Reed III fled the scene, dispatch received a call stating that the suspect was inside the gate of the navigation center. Officers responded to the fenced courtyard of the navigation center and placed Reed III under arrest. During the arrest, officers seized two firearms from the suspect's waistband.
With assistance from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, SFPD officers reviewed surveillance footage from the navigation center showing Barcenas providing Reed III with clothing to conceal his identity despite knowing that he was in possession of a firearm when he entered the navigation center.
Additionally, when officers had earlier visited the navigation center while searching for the suspect, Porter gave false statements to the police to prevent the officers from locating him.
Officers obtained an arrest warrant for Barcenas and Porter, and on Thursday, August 20, members of the SFPD Community Violence Reduction Team placed them both under arrest.
Barcenas is currently on Federal Probation for being felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition.
The injured officer has been released from the hospital and is continuing to recover from her injuries.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office has charged Reed III with attempted murder and multiple felonies in connection with the shooting.
This remains an open and active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 1-415-575-4444 or Text-A-Tip to TIP411. You may remain anonymous.
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