Commission requests fuller review after pursuit ended in parklet collision that injured six

San Francisco — Commissioners on the San Francisco Police Commission asked the police department on Feb. 12 to prepare a fuller review after a vehicle pursuit on Feb. 6 ended when the fleeing vehicle struck an occupied parklet at Fourth Street and Van Ness, injuring six people.

Chief William Scott delivered the weekly chief’s report and said the department is seeing an overall reduction in Part I crimes but that recent pursuits and a slight year-to-date increase in shooting incidents prompted concern. “We will do everything we can to make sure that we weigh the risk of pursuits,” Chief Scott said, adding that the department is reviewing the Feb. 6 pursuit to determine whether officers acted within department policy.

The pursuit began after an automated license-plate reader (ALPR) flagged a vehicle wanted in connection with felony grand theft in Berkeley, according to Scott. Officers attempted a stop; the driver fled and the pursuit terminated in South Van Ness when the suspect vehicle collided with a parklet. Six people were injured: two sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and four sustained minor injuries, Scott said. The officers involved were not injured.

Commissioners pressed for more factual detail and a broader agenda review. Commissioner Mattben Yanez asked the department to bring a full agenda item that would include an assessment of pursuits that would not have been permitted under the department’s pre-Prop E policy but…