Update: Suspect who threw bombs at pursuing San Francisco police has history with explosives
SAN FRANCISCO -- Police in San Francisco on Monday said the suspect who led officers on a chase across the Bay Bridge to Martinez Sunday knocked a church parishioner unconscious before throwing bombs at police units during the chase.
Additional information that surfaced about the suspect showed he has a history of illegal activities involving explosives, including a past conviction.
UPDATE: Concord man accused of throwing explosives at San Francisco police during chase pleads not guilty
Authorities on Monday gave an update on the arrest following the wild pursuit which started in the city's North Beach neighborhood with SFPD Assistant Chief David Lazar providing details.
Lazar said the "brazen ... very dangerous incident" began shortly before 6 p.m. during an early evening mass at the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church on Filbert Street across from Washington Square Park. The suspect in the incident, described by police as a Hispanic male in his early 40s, demanded money from a fellow parishioner after communion.
"The parishioner continued to pray and ignored him, at which point the suspect then violently assaulted this parishioner, punching them in the head," Lazar explained. "We believe the parishioner went unconscious temporarily."
Police said the assault victim at the church did not know the suspect.
Lazar said the suspect continued to demand money as other parishioners intervened to help the victim and called 911. The suspect then left the church and had a folding knife in hand without the blade extended as he walked out of the building.
Beat officers in North Beach responded to the scene within two minutes and requested medical aid for the assault victim. Police saw the suspect get into a vehicle and attempted to stop the car before the suspect sped away with officers giving chase.
When the vehicle got to Jones Street, Lazar said the suspect threw the first of two explosive devices at the officers chasing him.
He noted that police could feel the concussion from the device as it exploded.
"The officers described not only seeing the flames of the device that hit the ground, but when the bomb detonated, they could feel the blowback of that in their vehicles," Lazar said. "They believe the suspect intentionally tried to seriously injure or kill them."
Jeff Idema witnessed part of the police chase near Broadway and Jones in San Francisco.
"It was a really loud report. You know, real short ... just bam! And everyone came out of their apartments to look at what was going on. Definitely something unusual," said Idema.
"This is a pretty quiet neighborhood. I mean, except for a few crazy people up on the corner, we don't really see much of anything up here," said area resident Daniel Detorie.
The pursuit continued from the upper area of Russian Hill to the South of Market neighborhood, where additional officers from several stations joined the chase. The suspect threw a second device at pursuing police near the intersection of 8th and Mission, Lazar said.
The pursuit then moved to the freeway, with the suspect taking I-80 eastbound, traveling across the Bay Bridge with police still chasing him and CHP units joining the pursuit. The chase finally came to an end after about 30 minutes with the suspect crashing his vehicle before being apprehended in Martinez.
A photo of the suspect vehicle showed the left front wheel of the car was completely gone.
A spokesperson for CHP said the suspect didn't throw anything from their car once the Highway Patrol took over but items were found inside the suspect's vehicle upon arrest. A bomb-squad robot was used to extract items from the vehicle after the pursuit ended.
"No incendiaries were thrown during our portion of the pursuit, however items were located in the vehicle at the termination point," said CHP.
Police said there were no injuries or property damage during the pursuit. Lazar said the investigation into the incident was ongoing. He said that the suspect was not known to the department. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was also investigating the incident, Lazar added.
Police later identified the suspect as 42-year-old Concord resident Daniel Garcia. He was booked on charges of attempted robbery, aggravated assault, reckless evasion, three counts each of attempted murder, assault on an officer, unlawful possession of explosive device, possession of an explosive device in public and transporting explosive devices, two counts each of setting off explosive with the intent to harm and igniting explosive device with the intent to commit murder), resisting/delaying arrest and disobeying a red light.
Prior to police identifying the suspect, KPIX learned that the vehicle involved in the incident, a silver 2008 BMW, was registered to a Concord resident named Daniel Richard Garcia. A person with the same name was booked in the San Francisco County Jail early Monday morning on multiple charges resembling what the suspect in the pursuit likely would be facing.
Armed police were at the scene of a residence on North 6th Street in Concord on Monday that was reportedly linked to the suspect, according to the SF Standard. Authorities were seen removing evidence from the home in brown paper bags. KPIX spoke with residents who live in the area about Garcia. They were afraid to appear on camera but confirmed that Garcia was not a good neighbor.
Online records indicate that Garcia was previously arrested and convicted by a federal grand jury in 2012 for planting and detonating a bomb that blew up an SUV belonging to a former tenant in Fairfield. Investigating authorities found and disabled a second bomb at Garcia's home. He was found and arrested two days later following a police stand-off.
"The defendant's attempt to resolve a minor private dispute by detonating a bomb endangered the lives of all those who were sleeping in the apartment building in Fairfield that night. While it is fortunate that no one was harmed, the defendant's actions, together with his possession of a second bomb in the residential neighborhood where he lived, merit a long prison sentence," U.S. Attorney Ben Wagner said in the release issued in April of 2012 regarding Garcia's sentencing. "I am grateful to the efforts of and fine investigation put together by the ATF, the Fairfield Police Department, the FBI, and the Yolo County Bomb Squad."
According to the SF Standard, Garcia was released in February 2019 after successfully challenging his conviction on one of the charges he faced in that 2012 conviction.
In May, he was arrested on domestic violence charges and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Garcia is due in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing related to the charges from May of this year. However, the Contra Costa County DA's office said given the latest developments, it's unlikely he'll be in court since he's presumably in the SF County Jail.
Anyone with information was asked to contact SFPD at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD at (415) 575-4444. Additionally, if any member of the public comes across any suspicious devices, call 911 immediately and do not approach or move the object.