Driver who plowed into SF furniture store was fleeing multiple crash sites, police say

SAN FRANCISCO - A driver crashed a pickup truck into a furniture store in San Francisco's Design District late Friday afternoon. 

San Francisco Fire Department said the single vehicle crashed into a building at 4:30 p.m., hitting a pedestrian bystander on its way into the building. Both the driver and the bystander were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. The driver was later detained, according to police. 

San Francisco Police Department are investigating and had blocked off streets in the area of Eight and Townsend, where emergency crews remained on hand as the evening wore on. 

The city's Department of Emergency Management issued an alert at around 5:15 p.m. to avoid this intersection due to police activity. 

The truck crashed into the showroom of high-end furniture store Roche Bobois Paris. 

SFPD said upon officers' arrival, the driver was still in the vehicle. Officers rendered aid and called for paramedics since the driver appeared to be unresponsive. 

Police said the driver of the truck is suspected of striking an occupied vehicle in the area of 8th and Harrison streets and fleeing from the scene. Police said the two occupants of that vehicle were treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries. 

The suspect continued to travel to 8th and Townsend streets where the driver struck one unoccupied vehicle and two occupied vehicles before finally crashing into the store, according to police. Police said the occupants from those vehicles had no injuries to report. 

The collision was so powerful a man who lives upstairs in the building said it shook his apartment. He was working from home at the time of the crash. 

"I was just up in my apartment, which is this building and then I heard a loud crash and I could feel a sudden jolt in the whole building," said Jeff Hsu. "And I didn't think to come down until I saw…looked out eh window and saw people walking towards the corner with their phones out recording."

The resident told us when he walked downstairs there were only a few people from inside the store and that this could have been far worse. 

"I had no idea what it was and then I was very shocked to see the truck sticking out of the furniture store here." 

Late in the evening, a tow truck company worked to get the pickup truck removed from the building. 

It is unclear what charges the driver may be facing.  

Police said this remains an active and ongoing investigation.