Robbery Suspects Elude Police After Wild Chase in San Francisco; Woman Fatally Struck in Crosswalk by Fleeing Car

Story by the Associated Press; curated by Dave Urbanski

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A pedestrian was killed and another injured when they were struck by a car fleeing police during a wild chase through San Francisco, and the suspects involved were still on the loose Saturday.

Image source: KGO-TV

Witnesses who were riding a cable car saw the black sedan go airborne, and the windshield was badly damaged, KGO-TV reported.

Officers tried to stop the suspects' stolen car around 10 p.m. Friday just moments after they committed the latest in a series of robberies while armed with handguns, police said.

But the car sped off with police in pursuit and struck a woman in a crosswalk, killing her. The San Francisco medical examiner's office identified the woman on Saturday as Bridget Klecker, 42, of San Francisco.

"I just kept saying that this can't be real — this just can't be real," Kristine Mendoza, 35, who described Klecker as her close friend, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

She and Klecker had planned to attend Monday's San Francisco Giants home opener together and were heading to Mexico in two weeks on a trip, she said.

[sharequote align="center"]"I just kept saying that this can't be real ..."[/sharequote]

The car later hit a second pedestrian and then crashed into another car before slipping away from police in the South of Market neighborhood.

"It was one of those unreal experiences to see a car speeding in the intersection at us like that," Micaela Davis, 35, a passenger in the car that was struck, told the Chronicle.

Davis said the suspects' vehicle ran a red light, and the driver of the car she was in swerved to avoid it. Neither she, the driver nor a second passenger was injured.

The car was found unattended on Treasure Island off the Bay Bridge, police said. The three men who were in it were still at large.

The second person struck was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said.

Two firearms believed to be thrown from the car during the chase were recovered. The suspects have committed several armed robberies during the last three days, including three on Friday night alone, police said.

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