Transcripts For SFGTV Commission On The Environment 20240712

Central direction officers were district officers responded located the crime scene and summoned emergency medical aid for the victim. Officers were informed that the suspect had fled on foot after the attack. The victim initially believed his phone had been taken during the incident but later located it near the scene. At 6 36 a. M. , approximately one hour after the initial aggravated assault call, d. E. M. Received a 911 call from the pier hotel, which is located at 540 jones street. The caller stated the following we need the police to come to the pier hotel quick. Theres a guy in here. Hes waving knives at people and all kinds of stuff. He wont leave the building. Hes locked himself behind the door and keeps swinging a bloody blood. I seen him. I dont know what it is, but he keeps reaching for it, but he keeps swinging the twobyfour. The caller described the subject as a light skinned slim African American male with dreads, in his late 20s or early 30s, 59, wearing a red and white shirt. The caller said, ive got to get off the phone. He looks like hes going to hit disconnected. D. E. M. Received the call at 6 36. Tenderloin officers were dispatched at 6 39 and arrived at 6 43. While the officers were en route to this incident, the dispatcher advised them of the former incidents in the central, jones and geary that had a similar, possibly same suspect description, with the twobyfour. Officers arrived at the hotel at 6 43 am m. , and entered the lobby, where they observed a man later identified as Thomas Obannon in the clerks office. At this time, they began speaking to mr. Obannon in a space in the plexiglass enclosure. For the next several minutes, officers attempted to call mr. Obannon. During this time, he refused officers requests to place his hands in the break in the plexi glass for cuffing. The officer noticed that mr. Obannon continuously glanced to the less Lethal Weapon that he was holding. The officer explained that it was a bean bag gun, and it was lesser force, and it was because mr. Obannon had a weapon. Mr. Obannon made such statements at this time as i aint going back, i aint going to hurt no one, and there aint going to be no peace. A sergeant took over contact with mr. Obannon and attempted to persuade him to surrender peacefully. Mr. Yo bannon then began to alternately pace in the room and sit in the chair. Then, a paramedic began to speak with mr. Obannon. She explained that she was not a Police Officer, and she wanted to provide medical care to mr. Obannon. She wanted him to leave the room so she could provide medical care to him. Mr. Obannon would not leave the room. 7 25, sfpd officers resumed speaking with mr. Obannon. Mr. Obannon became agitated, picking up the wooden board, again holding it diagonally across his body. At 7 25 a. M. , a woman who identified herself as a case manager attempted to speak with mr. Oban an. The case manager asked him to pass the board through the plexi glass window several times and mr. Obannon refused. The case manager was later identified to be an employee of the tender line housing clinic. The case manager continued to try to speak with mr. Obannon for several minutes. Mr. Obannon alternated speaking with the case manager and striking the wall and window with the board. He then thrust the wooden board against the plexi glass opening and slammed it against the rail of the opening. Due to this, the case manager could not continue safely speaking to mr. Obannon. Officers again began to speak with mr. Obannon. At 7 52, sfpd had been on scene for 1 09. Officers formulated a plan and issued verbal commands to mr. Obannon as they attempted to take him into custody. Mr. Obannon placed the board over his head in a striking motion. Mr. Obannon then lost control of the board and failed to comply with officers directives. At this time, officers in the lobby deployed o. C. Spray. Pepper extraction is commonly referred to as pepper spray and less lethal force via a bean bag gun through the plexi glass window. Mr. Obannon later obtained an item in his hand, later identified as a screwdriver and exited the room while Still Holding the item in his lefthand. As officers exited onto the sidewalk, one of the exiting officers tripped and fell onto his stomach. The officer quickly stood and began running from mr. Obannon, who continued to pursue quickly behind him. Mr. Obannon then attempted to overtake him. From the body worn cam, it appears that the officer discharged his firearm three times. Mr. Obannon fled south on jones street then east on ellis street, and officers pursued on foot. Mr. Obannon ran into glide Memorial Church. Mr. Oban non stopped in the lobby while he brandished the screwdriver. He ignored officers repeated requests to get on the ground. Mr. Obannon turned and ran through an open stairwell, running to the basement. The door closed and locked behind him, preventing the officers from pursuing down the stairway. Officers attempted to descend a separate stairway a short time later. At this time, mr. Obannon opened a fire extinguisher, locked himself in the basement with two kitchen knives. Officers established a a perimeter around glide Memorial Church. The Hostage Negotiation Team arrived on scene and continued to negotiate the hostage surrender of mr. Obannon for 11 hours. Officers planned and executed the rescue of an employee who was sheltered in a basement room adjacent to where mr. Obannon was located. Officers made contact with the family of mr. Obannon who responded to the scene and provided assistance during this incident. Near the end of the incident, mr. Obannon ceased negotiations and communications with hostage negotiation testimony members. Officers then located mr. Obannon in the basement, where they used less lethal force to take him into custody. It was determined that mr. Obannon was not struck by gun fire. Mr. Obannon was treated for nonlife threatening injuries at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital where he was hospitaled for preexisting medical conditions unrelated to this incident. Evidence. Evidence was located at the incident scene of the officerinvolved shooting at well as glide Memorial Church. Evidence included a wooden blood with what appeared to be blood on it, two fire extinguishers, and several large kitchen knives. Video. Video was recovered from multiple sources, including approximately 180 Body Worn Camera videos, ten private surveillance videos, and an additional video is being sought by our investigators. Witnesses. Witnesses to the officerinvolved shooting have been interviewed, and independent witnesses to the preliminary crimes have been located and also interviewed. Additional witnesses are being sought by investigators. The suspect. The San Francisco District Attorneys Office has filed charges against mr. Obannon on april 23, 2020. The charges consist of the following. One count of 245a1 of the california penal code, assault with a deadly weapon. One count of 245a4 of the california penal code, assault likely to result in graeat bodily injuried. Theyve also filed two enforcements of the california penal code. The officer involved in this incident is jordan townsend, officer 2457. He is a veteran of the Police Department. In according to officer policy, all members involved in a shooting are immediately placed on paid administrative leave. As the chief mentioned previously, there are additional investigations. They are as follows. The independent Investigations Bureau of the San Francisco District Attorneys Office and the San Francisco Police Department Investigative Services detail are conducting an investigation into this incident. The sfpd internal Affairs Division is also conducting an investigation administrative in nature. Investigators are in the process of determining if any other related incidents occurred in this area prior to the officerinvolved shooting. And finally, mr. Obannon is currently under investigation for four vandalism and burglary incidents that occurred in the morning of tuesday, april 21 prior to the incident on jones street. At this time, we are going to transition to the playing of 911 calls, dispatch tape, and the playing of both Body Worn Camera and surveillance video. Prior to doing so, i am going to read a statement. You are about to see relevant video footage and other evidence related to this case so you can have a better underi understanding of what occurred right now. We are still in the early stages of an investigation that can take months to complete, and we understand that conditions may change as evidence is collected and reviewed. We do not draw any conclusions as to whether the officers acted in compliance and in policy with the law until the investigation is complete. A word of caution. The images and words hear may be disturbing. When the Police Officer tries to prevent an attack, there may be Strong Language used. Viewer discretion is advised, especially for Young Children and sensitive viewers. We encourage those who need help to contact the city of San Francisco Public Health crisis line at 4159783800. We will now play a 911 call. This audio was provided to the San Francisco Police Department from the San Francisco department of management. The audio is the 911 call from the aggravated assault incident reported on april 21, 2020. This incident occurred on the 600 block of post street. Please note, the victims voice has been changed to protect his safety. San francisco 911. What is your emergency. Yes. [bleep]. Im calling from my cell phone number, and i was walking down first street towards downtown, and i was i told you the block. Any ways, i was attacked by an African American gentleman with braids, and hes about 6 feet or so, maybe 170, 180 pounds. He had a [inaudible] no. Okay. Where are you, sir . Im [inaudible] okay. Whats your address . My address is [bleep]. And what room or apartment are you in . [bleep]. Im headed out with my dad at the time. Okay. Well, what do you want to do . Do you want to speak with the officers . Yes, i would. And ill have to file a complaint. I know. What do you want to do . Right now, im going down to okay. Well, we dont make appointments, so do you want to go get your dog and call me back . All right. All right. Is that what you want to do . Yes. Do you need an ambulance . I dont know i dont need an ambulance. Ive just got a bloody nose. Okay. So youre [bleep] now . No, im walking towards downtown, and i am looking for the dfor i am on post, and im looking for the dog. Youre on post where . Walking towards [inaudible] i think it was the next block. Okay. When you see the officers, flag them down, okay . I will. Okay. Do you remember what this guy had on . What he was wearing . No yes, i do. Hes wearing white in front of [inaudible] he was clean. Sir, what was he wearing . He was wearing a white what . He was wearing a whitetype shirt, and hes standing right down the street. The next building down is the u. S. Hotel. The u. S. Hotel . 737. Okay. And where are you now . Were by farm table, kind of across the street and down from him. Hes standing there with a board. All right. When you see the officers, [bleep], flag them down. All right. Thank you. We will now play a second 911 call, which was also provided by the San Francisco department of emergency management. The call is from the pierre hotel, where the subject was reported to be waving a wooden board. The call was received at 6 36 a. M. San francisco 911. Whats the exact location of the emergency . 940 jones street no, 540 jones street. We need you to come to the pierre hotel quick. Theres a guy in here. Hes waving a knife and all kind of stuff at people, and you wont leave the building. Okay. Whats your name . [bleep]. He locked hisself behind the door, and he keeps swinging a weapon and a twobyfour. Wait, wait, wait. Is it a knife or a twobyfour . I dont know, but he keeps swinging something and a twobyfour. He wont leave, and hes locked hisself on here. Okay. [inaudible] what does he look like . White . Black . Asian. Hes light skinned, with dreads. Okay. Is he black . Yeah, hes light skinned with dreads. How old is he . Maybe late 30s, early 40s. How tall is he . 59. How heavy . Hes not leaving, so i need somebody here immediately. Yeah, ive got them on their way, but is he thin, medium, heavy . Thin. What is he wearing . Red shirt. Do you know what color pants he has on . Hold on. Its a light shirt with blue jeans. White shirt . Yeah. White shirt with blue jeans . Yeah. Did you actually see the knife or not . I didnt see the knife. Did you see him reaching for something . Yeah, the residents told me they seen it. Okay. Hold on. And you also saw him reaching for something thats not the twobyfour . Yeah. And you said the twobyfour is bloody . Yeah. Like, theres a lot of blood on it . Yes. Okay. Whats your phone number . [bleep] okay. And hold on one second. What is he doing right now . Hes not leaving. Hes locked in there, going through stuff. Let me ask you a protocol question. Have you or anyone in that location been suspected or confirmed of having coronavirus . No. Okay. Do you or someone else at this location have flulike symptoms . No. And you wouldnt be able to speak for that person waving the twobyfour around them . Uh, no. Yeah, ive got to get off the phone because he looks like hes going to hit my coworkers. Okay. Is he in the same room . No, hes trying to open the door. Which door is he trying to open . The following audio is a recording of a d. E. M. Dispatcher broadcasting information to officers who are en route to 540 jones street. Be advised earlier there was a 594 and a 211 in the central jones and geary, possibility of a suspect description of a gentleman with a twobyfour. [inaudible] ill advise them. The next six videos are from one of the first officers to arrive on scene on jones street. One of six. In the video, officers are seen making contact with mr. Obannon, who is inside of the enclosed clerks office. [inaudible] sir, what are you doing . Are you going to cooperate . Can we all get away from the lobby . Sir, can we talk peacefully without whats on your waist . [inaudible] okay, well, heres the deal. We dont want to do anything we have to do today if youve got weapons. Do you have weapons on you, bro . Are we going to do this peacefully, like adults . What i want to do is can you put your hands outside peacefully so i can handcuff you and walk you out. Whats on your hands . [inaudible] blood . [inaudible] whose blood . Okay. Im going tolove up. [inaudible] dont d anything silly, all right . Were bud, do you have a i o you . No. Ou a knife . No. Can you lift up your tshirt for me . Yeah, lift up your tshirt so i can see. All right. All right. Where are you bleeding from . Okay. Turnaround, put your hands behind your back so i can handcuff you. Well get you an ambulance so you can get all checked out. How does that sound . Good, man. Good. Whats your name . Sir, talk to me. Whats your name . Body worn camera two of six. In the video, officers are overheard speaking with mr. Obannon and attempting to safely handcuff him through the document opening in the clerks office. An officer requests that additional officers respond to 540 jones street as well as an ambulance. Come on. Come out here where i can handcuff them and well come out here safely. Put your hands up. Youre not in trouble. We dont know whats going on. All we know is theres a guy bleeding with a piece of wood. Let us help you. [inaudible] dont force me to do things i dont want to do. Let me put you in handcuffs. [inaudible] the handcuffs are for our safety and your safety. Youre not under arrest. [inaudible] were trying to make this a peaceful resolution, so are you going to help us out . Sorry. If you come out, youre going to leave your hands where we can see them and on top of your head. [inaudible] so youre not going to come out . Suspect is not being very cooperative. Hes locked in the front desk. [inaudible] hes also covered in blood. [inaudible] yeah, you should glove up. Sir Body Worn Camera three of six. In the video, the officers speak with mr. Obannon, who is seen throughout the video holding the wooden board. Officers ask him to put the board down and observe that his hand is bleeding. Yeah, you should glove up. Sir, i think ive been very reasonable. Please put the board down. [inaudible] why . Why are you so angry . Why are you so angry . [inaudible] can you not . [inaudible] well, ive asked you for a peaceful resolution, and you do not want to cooperate with had h he with me. You did not want to come out. Hes still refusing to coopera cooperate. [inaudible] going back where . Im just trying to get you to go to the hospital. Whats wrong, man . You havent even told me whats wrong. Were just trying to help you, man. Body worn camera four of 6. In the segment, an sfpd sergeant is seen attempting to speak with mr. Obannon and offering him help and medical assistance. [inaudible] how can we help you today . Is there anything that we can do to help you . [inaudible] sir, can you speak little bit . Can you speak up a little bit . [inaudible] okay. We want you to make this thing easy on us, okay . Wed really appreciate that. Could you could you come out so we can get you checked out by an ambulance . Body worn camera five of six. In the clip, a San Francisco Fire Department paramedic speaks with mr. Obannon. [inaudible] how are you . Whats your name . Whats your name. Can you please tell me your name . [inaudible] you want to come out . Do you see my gurney right here . Body worn camera six of six. In this segment, a woman at the scene who identified herself as a case manager in the building spoke with mr. Obannon. [inaudible] is there anything i can do for you now . Do you need anything . The next segment is from video cameras inside