Man drove through SF throwing explosives out of car, police say

LATEST Oct. 30, 2:20 p.m. A 42-year-old Concord man was identified on Monday afternoon by the San Francisco Police Department as the suspect who allegedly threw explosives from his car during a police pursuit that started in San Francisco and ended in Martinez. 

Daniel Garcia demanded money from and attacked a parishioner at Saints Peter and Paul Church in North Beach before the chase on Sunday, police said. According to a news release, the threw the explosives, which police described as “improvised explosive devices,” at officers. Garcia booked at the San Francisco County Jail on the morning of Oct. 30, according to jail records. He could face a slew of charges, including attempted robbery, aggravated assault, three counts of  attempted murder, three counts of assault on an officer, reckless evasion, three counts of unlawful possession of an explosive device and more.

Oct. 30, 12:25 p.m. A man in his 40s was arrested Sunday night after attacking a parishioner at a San Francisco church and throwing two explosives from his car window during a police pursuit that crossed into several counties, officials said.

The San Francisco Police Department said it responded to multiple reports of the assault just before 6 p.m. at Saints Peter and Paul Church in North Beach. Police believe the man had attended an afternoon mass based on interviews with witnesses. 

After communion, the man approached a parishioner and demanded money, SFPD Assistant Chief David Lazar said at a Monday morning press conference. The parishioner continued to pray, and the man allegedly punched the parishioner in the face. The parishioner was temporarily unconscious, and many in the church came to his aid before medics arrived, Lazar said. The suspect left the church with a folding knife in hand and fled on foot before getting into a car, he said. 

Officers located the man in the vehicle, and a police pursuit began. As the man was driving in Russian Hill, he threw an explosive device at police from the car window on the 1500 block of Jones Street. Officers reported feeling the bomb detonate and the blowback into their vehicle, Lazar said.

“They believe the suspect tried to kill them,” he said.

The chase continued into the Tenderloin. The man threw a second explosive out the window at Mission and Eighth streets. “They could see the flames and feel the explosion,” Lazar said. “They feel that the second explosion was more dangerous than the first.”

As the pursuit continued, the California Highway Patrol was called to assist and flew a helicopter overhead. The pursuit ended in Martinez, where the man was arrested. The suspect is a man in his 40s, and his name will likely be released later on Monday, Lazar said.

“This was a brazen incident, very dangerous incident that occurred in our city,” he said.