Today San Francisco police announced the arrest of a man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman near Cathedral Hill and yesterday they asked for the public’s help with a recent homicide.
Police say on February 10, 23-year-old Xe (pronounced “Che”) Ernesto Acosta was walking to a friend’s house, when he was shot and killed at the intersection of Webster and Hayes streets “for no apparent reason.”
Investigators say he was described as a “free-spirited” man who liked to travel and worked at the Whole Foods market at Haight and Stanyan streets. They also say that so far there’s no record of him ever being arrested and it does not appear he was involved in any criminal activities.
Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to contact Sergeant John Burke of the SFPD Homicide Detail at (415) 553-1145 or the anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444.
Police also announced the arrest of Arthur R. Salinas, 57, of San Francisco on suspicion of kidnapping, false imprisonment, several counts of both aggravated assault and sexual assault and failing to register as a sex offender.
On February 17, at approximately 5:00 a.m. police responded to a call regarding a sexual assault. The victim told officers she had “struck up a conversation with the suspect while making a purchase in a store on the 1400 block of Sutter Street,” at about 11:00 p.m. the night before, and when she left he walked along with her until they reached a stairwell approximately one block away.
There it is alleged he “forced the victim into the stairwell, where he overpowered her, violently attacked and sexually assaulted her.” The suspect fled the scene and the victim went home to her apartment, where the victim’s roommate called 911. She was later taken to a hospital and treated.
Investigators say the victim managed to get evidence from the scene that lead to the identification of Salinas as a suspect. They canvassed the area of the attack and contacted an apartment manager on the 1300 block of Sutter Street who recognized the suspect from the description they provided. Eventually they located Salinas near the intersection of Franklin and Sutter streets.
Police further allege that a record check revealed Salinas was wanted on a warrant issued by the Texas Department of Corrections for a sexual offender parole violation.
Due to his criminal history as a sexual offender in Texas, say police, they will be reviewing unsolved sexual assault cases to assess whether Salinas is involved.
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