VIDEO: Brazen Drive-By Purse Snatching At Popular San Francisco Cow Hollow Eatery
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Even amid the wave of San Francisco vehicle smash-and-grab robberies over the last year it was particularly stunning. Surveillance video shows a black car with tinted windows pulling up to a parklet at the Balboa Cafe, a man reaches over the barrier and snatches a woman's purse before racing off.
The crime -- which took place Wednesday night -- doesn't end there.
San Francisco Police say moments later, the victim discovered her car, parked around the corner on Fillmore and Greenwich Streets, was also stolen. The suspects got away.
"Two of her friends came over, obviously she was kind of hysterical," said Sean Doolan, Beverage Director at Wilder SF. "She had her belongings taken, her car taken, and you have to think about her safety as well. If they're ballsy enough to steal her car, they could probably go to her house."
Doolan, who works as the beverage director at Wilder restaurant and bar across the street from the crime provided the security video to the victim.
"They pulled up pretty close to the parklet, the girls, her friend did tell me that it came close to hitting the parklet," he added.
"You wouldn't think with all these people out here that something like that would be possible," said Matthew Stevens.
Stevens was working nearby that very night.
"I saw the commotion afterwards and it was pretty intense everyone was a little scared," he said. "What it is is opportunists, so they see these opportunities, so they put one and one together."
On a bustling Friday night, people filled bars and restaurants in the popular neighborhood. Doolan said despite this unfortunate incident, overall he feels safe in the Marina.
"I noticed a lot of people get comfortable, especially in a dining setting, hanging out with some friends," he said. "You tend to kind of sit back and relax, which is the environment that we're trying to create in a restaurant, but especially outdoor dining, you've got to keep your belongings close to you."
Doolan added that there is a heavy police presence in the Marina, especially on weekends after 10 pm. When KPIX 5 was on the scene Friday evening, we saw several police vehicles patrolling the area.
