A stolen taxicab was tracked down using a Global Positioning System (GPS) but then the vehicle was used as a weapon, prompting a San Francisco police officer to draw his firearm shoot at the suspected robber.
Police say yesterday at about 4:30 a.m. they received a call regarding a suspect jumping on the roof of a taxicab.
The suspect was later identified as Peter Russell, 25, of San Francisco.
The taxi cab driver, fearing for his safety, exited the taxicab and fled.
Then Russell stole the taxicab, driving away in it and fleeing the scene.
The taxicab was tracked using GPS to the area of Jackson and Spruce streets. Responding officers located the stolen taxicab at the dead end of Spruce Street.
As the officers approached Russell, he made a u-turn and drove the stolen taxicab directly at the officers and their patrol vehicles. The officers leaped out of the path of the oncoming vehicle and one officer fired his service weapon at Russell.
The stolen taxicab struck one of the patrol vehicles as it fled the area.
The taxicab was tracked to the Fort Mason area and the abandoned taxicab was located near Octavia and Bay streets. Russell was located nearby and arrested without further incident.
He was booked into San Francisco County Jail on charges of felony carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon against a police officer and driving while under the influence.
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