No one or no place is safe in San Francisco.
That point was made again on Wednesday, Nov. 9, when violent robbers accosted two wedding photographers near the city’s Palace of Fine Arts.
A photographer from Dallas, who requested anonymity for his safety, told ABC7 that he flew to San Francisco to take engagement photos for a couple. He managed to fend off two armed and masked men, preventing them from stealing his gear.
Watch: Robbers Try to Steal Photo Gear in Broad Daylight
“I was just freaked out. I tried to protect the client’s memories. The bride was crying the whole time,” the photographer said.
He also said that he’ll never shoot at the Palace of Fine Arts again.
Earlier in the day, a Bay Area photographer lost his camera gear bag to violent attackers in the same area.
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SF Crime Rises 6% in 2022
According to the San Francisco Police Department, total crime is up 6% this year compared to 2021.
In 2020, San Francisco had the third-highest rate of property crimes among 21 major cities at about 4,400 incidents per 100,000 residents, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Data from that same year shows San Francisco with a burglary rate 67% above the average of the other major cities. In addition, motor vehicle thefts and larceny were 37% above the average.
SFGate reported last month that in August and September, San Francisco police reported slightly higher rates of violent and property crime than over the same time period last year.
“While the increases were modest, they seem to dispel hopes that replacing District Attorney Chesa Boudin would have an immediate effect on crime rates in the city,” wrote reporter Eric Ting.
Boudin, a progressive with a justice system reform agenda, lost his post in a June recall. San Francisco Mayor London Breed appointed Brooke Jenkins as his successor.
