Fleeing Suspect Falls To Death Off SF Cliff

SAN FRANCISCO -- A 38-year-old man fell to his death early Thursday off a 200-foot cliff on San Francisco’s picturesque Telegraph Hill after running away from police officers that apparently saw him trying to break into a vehicle. San Francisco police received a report at about 12:30 a.m. of a suspect breaking into a vehicle in the unit block of Alta Street, according to police spokesman Sgt. Neville Gittens. Officers responded to the scene and set up surveillance in the area. A short time later, officers observed a male suspect getting out of a four-door Audi vehicle, Gittens said. Officers tried to detain the man, who started to run east on Alta Street. The suspect fell at one point, dropping a screwdriver out of his pocket, before getting up and continuing to run, Gittens said. The suspect then jumped over a wall that stands atop a hill to the west of Sansome Street. The suspect fell about 200 feet and was pronounced dead at the scene, Gittens said. Officers also discovered a Subaru station wagon that was broken into on Alta Street, Gittens said. The identity of the suspect has not yet been released, according to Gittens.