Prosecutors in San Francisco have charged a man following a wild police chase that occurred Tuesday afternoon. The chase began in the Tenderloin district and ended at the Embarcadero, leaving authorities no choice but to intervene due to its chaotic nature.
The individual in question is 23-year-old Natomee Hinton. He’s facing serious charges, including assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon, several counts of evading law enforcement, hit-and-run incidents, and possession of burglary tools, according to the prosecutors.
The trouble started around 12:40 PM when officers stationed near Market and Jones streets spotted Hinton. They quickly discovered he was on parole and had an outstanding no bail warrant for robbery from Los Angeles County. After briefly losing sight of him, the police found Hinton inside an Audi registered to him.
As officers closed in on his vehicle, Hinton reversed and crashed into a patrol car multiple times. In the chaos, police attempted to deflate his tires and even broke the driver’s side window, demanding he exit the car.
When he refused, police resorted to using pepper spray. At that moment, Hinton drove onto the sidewalk and struck the side of a building on 50 Jones Street, nearly colliding with the officers in the process.
This reckless behavior led to a dangerous chase down Golden Gate Avenue and through the Tenderloin, ultimately making its way to Embarcadero. Hinton sped through multiple red lights and caused several accidents during the pursuit. The chase took a twist when he fled into a bar upon reaching the Embarcadero and eventually jumped into the bay under Pier 30. Luckily, police officers were able to pull him out and take him into custody.
Hinton faced a judge on Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains in custody without bail. His next court hearing is set for September 11.
