SF Bicycle Cop Struck, Severely Injured, Outside Opera Plaza Garage

Officer Elia Lewin-Tankel of the Tenderloin police station was critically injured while riding his bicycle beat yesterday afternoon. He was struck by a motorist on Turk Street, near the corner of Turk and Van Ness, outside the Opera Plaza garage. A suspect is in custody, although SFPD Detectives were still canvassing for witnesses this afternoon near where he was hit.

From the latest SFPD release:

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Brian Wiedenmeier issued the following statement:

Media outlets have reported that the motorist who hit the officer was driving a white Lexus SUV with stolen plates, which was later found abandoned. The suspect was taken into custody later yesterday afternoon, a few miles from the scene. The SF Examiner is reporting that officers were investigating a possible firearm violation on Turk Street and that the driver of the SUV spotted them and fled, striking Lewin-Tankel. A police officer in Opera Plaza today said the investigation is being handled as an attempted murder.

Turk, it's worth noting, is a street that is slated for parking-protected bike lanes--a project that's been repeatedly delayed and threatened. It's unclear if parking-protected bike lanes would have made a difference in this case; we'll see as more details emerge.

"The department is working to support Elia’s family and his colleagues," according to a police statement sent this afternoon. "Elia’s family asks, 'Everyone to send good energy and prayers for his recovery, which we know will happen, because Elia is a survivor.'"