It’s been a little more than a week since that unpleasant incident on Mirabel, where a manhunt unfolded after an SFPD officer was struck by the driver of a stolen BMW. The October 9 edition of the SFPD Ingleside Newsletter provided a rather comprehensive summary of what happened, told in classic crime-blotter style:
It started out innocent enough. The department has been dealing with a rash of car burglaries in the City. The Ingleside District has dealt with more than its share. Ingleside Officers Stark and Carew, along with many other Ingleside units, were sent to investigate a vehicle break in on Mirabel Avenue. The caller said there were four suspects inside a white BMW. The caller gave the BMW’s license plate number to dispatch, who informed the officers that the vehicle was wanted for a previous burglary and it had fled from Mission units who tried to stop it less than an hour before the current call. Ingleside Officers Hermosura and Ferronato were first to arrive on scene and, as they pulled up, three suspects exited the BMW and escaped down a nearby stairwell. However, the driver put the BMW in gear and took off at a high rate of speed. Officers Hermosura broadcast that he was in pursuit as he chased the fleeing subject through the narrow streets in the neighborhood. After three blocks, fearing for the safety of pedestrians and other motorists, Officer Hermosura cancelled his pursuit. The vehicle was last seen driving east on Montezuma Street.
A few seconds later all the responding police personnel were startled by the distressing sound of an officer screaming for help on the radio. Dispatch quickly put out a call of “officer down” on the unit block of Mirabel Streets. Every available Ingleside unit, along with several units from Bayview and Mission Station sped to the scene. They found Ingleside Officer Bryant lying on his back on the sidewalk screaming in pain. Officer Bryant told his colleagues that he thought he was going to die. An ambulance was dispatched while Sgt. Mitchell rendered first aid.
The driver of the BMW was lying face down on the sidewalk, in handcuffs, surrounded by Officers Montero and Roche. Roche and Montero were following Bryant as they arrived on Mirabel Avenue. Just then, the BMW, driven by the suspect, arrived and stopped in front of Bryant’s patrol car which was blocking the street. All the officers exited their patrol car and ordered the suspect out of the car. But instead of exiting the BMW, the suspect accelerated at the officers. All were able to avoid getting hit except for Bryant, who was hit by the BMW’s front bumper and pinned against a parked Volvo. Officer Montero quickly pulled Officer Bryant, who was in extreme pain, out to safety. The driver of the BMW was taken into custody and booked on a variety of charges. The other occupants of the BMW were quickly apprehended in the area by other officers. Officer Bryant was treated at San Francisco General Hospital for serious injuries to his legs and chest and is now recovering at home. Report number: 150870820
Yikes. Upon reading this, Bernalwood asked Capt. McFadden from Ingleside Station for an update on Officer Bryant’s condition. Capt. McFadden shared this encouraging news:
Officer Joshua Bryant was injured in the incident. He is a very large man and did not sustain any severe injuries. He had a sprained left wrist and left ankle along with serious road rash all over his arms and legs from being dragged by the suspect’s car. He is recovering from his injuries and should be back to work within a few weeks. Thanks for the community concern. It is greatly appreciated.
The driver of the car, Jaimes Ulises, 25, of Mountain View, is charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault on a peace officer in connection with the incident. Last week his bail was set at $2.5 million.
PHOTO: Stolen BMW involved in the Oct 5 incident on Mirabel, by @NBCbayarea
Bernalwood 
I’m so glad to hear that officer Bryant didn’t have serious injuries. I wish him a fast recovery. It’s too bad so much negative things are happening here & all over SF.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery
I’ve read the account provided by SFPD three times and I’m still having a tough time parsing it.
Officer Hermosura was in pursuit of the BMW and then canceled the chase after deciding it was too dangerous. Next thing we know, an officer (Hermosura?) gives a distress call for an undisclosed injury or attack. Fellow officers soon find the Officer Bryant lying on the ground screaming in pain. The BMW driver is lying on the sidewalk in handcuffs surrounded by two officers. But then, the BMW arrives and is blocked by a police car in the middle of the narrow street (how can this be if the BMW driver was already in handcuffs?). The BMW pins Officer Bryant against a Volvo until being freed by a fellow officer.
I’m glad to hear Officer Bryant is well, but it seems like the events are out of sequence. And how does someone who was pinned against a Volvo emerge with only road rash — or have the ability to call for help on a radio, assuming it was Officer Bryant rather than Officer Hermosura who made the distress call. Lastly, what crime exactly were the occupants suspected of committing? Car burglary makes me think they were stealing the BMW. But then the account says the BMW was connected to a previous burglary in the Mission, which makes it sound more like a home burglary.
Lots of stuff that’s unclear. Can anyone figure this out?
It is poorly written and definitely out of sequence. Logic dictates a certain order of events that aren’t too difficult to figure out, right? Before the driver was pulled out of the car and handcuffed, he drove into the officers and their car blocking the road, hitting Bryant. One officer helped Bryant, the others dealt with the suspect.
The cops need some training in writing a coherent narrative. NPR aired a funny/true story about a guy who had been the victim of a hit & run. The way that the accident report was written basically said that the hit & run victim was also the perpetrator. While obviously in error, it said that he was the guilty party and he went through hell trying to get the report corrected for insurance purposes.
And he never did! He ended up paying the drunk guy that hit him! Great story.
Another problem for me with the report is the loud “car crash” noise I heard immediately following the sound of a man screaming and a second later sirens going off, coming from every direction and very quickly converging in front of my house on Mirabel. When I heard the story about an officer being pinned to his vehicle, I wondered how that would have resulted in such a loud crash noise. The out of sequence problem with the report makes everything even more confusing.
The report starts with the beginning, flashes to the end, then picks up the middle to reveal how the ending was achieved. Adding to the confusion is the fact that the story BEGINS and ENDS on Mirabel.
BMW spotted on Mirabel. Reported as involved in earlier incident. Passengers jump out. Driver flees in car. Officer Hermosura gives chase. Many units start towards area. Hermosura calls off chase.
Flash forward: Responding units hear scream and then report of officer down. Arriving units see injured officer and driver in custody.
Flash back to… Hermosura calls off chase… [Driver presumably then goes back to Mirabel to pick up accomplices.] Driver arrives Mirabel and sees path is blocked. Trapped, he tries to kill Bryant. He is apprehended. Other officers search for and find his three accomplices.
Many officers probably contributed to the report, so shifting POV isn’t surprising.
Shows just a sliver of the insanity and malice officers face… The driver had no chance of escaping by killing Bryant, so why make the attempt?
Here’s hoping Bryant recovers quickly and fully.
wow thanks, takebackthegreen…got it. Sounds insane and very frightening and I am sure it happened fast.