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Former San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru Arrested For Alleged Knifepoint Robbery

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/BCN) -- Police in San Francisco confirmed officers arrested former Department of Public Works director Mohammed Nuru Wednesday morning in connection with an alleged robbery involving a knife.

According to police, around 11:20 a.m., officers responded to the 1000 block of Marin Street in the city's Dogpatch neighborhood.

A victim there told officers a man approached him, brandished a knife and then demanded the victim's property. The victim was able to flee and notify police.

Police identified the suspect as Nuru, the embattled former city official who resigned from his post last year after being arrested by federal officials on suspicion of wire fraud.

According to police, investigators developed probable cause to arrest the 58-year-old Nuru for attempted robbery. Nuru was later booked at the San Francisco County Jail.

In January 2020, Nuru was arrested by federal agents along with Lefty O'Doul's restaurant owner Nick Bovis in an alleged attempt to bribe a San Francisco International Airport commissioner for help to obtain a restaurant concession.

Nuru's arrest kicked off an ongoing investigation into city corruption, with investigators alleging that over the years, Nuru accepted numerous bribes and kickbacks in exchange for giving favorable treatment on city contracts.

Since Nuru's arrest, a dozen defendants linked to the corruption investigation have been charged in federal court, including former San Francisco Public Utilities Commission general manager Harlan Kelly and former Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services director Sandra Zuniga.

 

© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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