Third Suspect Arrested In Brutal July Assault And Strong-Arm Robbery In SF's Chinatown

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Police in San Francisco on Wednesday announced the recent arrest of a third suspect in connection with a brutal assault and strong-arm robbery of two older men in San Francisco's Chinatown last summer.

According to police, the two victims were robbed by three African-American men near Stockton and Pacific streets in broad daylight shortly after 1 p.m. on July 15, 2019.

Police said the suspects stole a watch from the first victim, identified as a 56-year-old San Francisco resident. The suspects also lifted him up and threw him on the ground.

The second victim, identified as a 69-year-old SF resident, was knocked unconscious while trying to intervene. Both victims were hospitalized with head injuries and later released.

Later that month, police released images of the suspects from surveillance video.

In the San Francisco Police Department's latest press release on the crime, authorities said a third suspect, identified as 22-year-old Sacramento resident Christopher Jefferson, was arrested last week on Wednesday, April 1, in Stockton with the assistance of the Stockton Police Department.

Jefferson has since been booked at San Francisco County Jail on charges of robbery, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, aggravated battery causing serious bodily injury and elder abuse.

Earlier arrests in the case helped lead officers to the third suspect in the case. On the morning of October 22, 2019, San Francisco police investigators served a search warrant in Oakland and arrested 19-year-old Dashawn Pierson at his residence. Investigators found and confiscated evidence connecting the suspect to the July 15th robbery.

Pierson's arrest led to the identification of a second suspect, 20-year-old Sacramento resident Akeem Smith. On January 22, 2020, Smith was arrested in Alameda County. He was later transferred to the custody of the San Francisco Sheriff's Department.

While the three suspects in the original assault and robbery have been arrested, this remains an open investigation. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the SFPD 24-hour tip line at 1-415-5754444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.