Off-Duty Officer Arrested on Suspicion of Hit-And-Run

An off-duty police officer was arrested early Sunday morning in San Francisco because allegedly he left the scene of a collision in which the car he was driving hit two pedestrians, police said. Officers responded at about 2:20 a.m. to a hit-and-run collision at Broadway and Montgomery Street, according to police. 

A Dodge Charger hit two pedestrians and the driver, who is a San Francisco police officer, left the area, police said. The two pedestrians were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, which were not considered life-threatening, according to police. 

Officers said the driver of the car was San Francisco police Officer Christopher Kohrs, 38, who is known as the Hot Cop of the Castro. The Castro is a district in San Francisco known for being friendly to gays, according to the Castro-Upper Market Community Benefit District. Police said they booked Kohrs into the San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of two counts of felony hit-and-run.

SF Man Wins $5M in Lottery with Safeway-Bought Ticket

A California Lottery ticket purchased at a Safeway in San Francisco made a man a multi-millionaire, lottery officials said Wednesday. The ticket, sold at the 730 Taraval St. location, led to a $5 million win for Sergey Osipyan, lottery officials said. 

Osipyan won the top prize of the “Max-A-Million Scratchers,” according to lottery officials. The grocery store’s owners will receive a retailer bonus of $25,000 for selling the winning ticket, lottery officials added.

University of California Joins Coalition to Solve Climate Challenges

University of California officials Sunday announced their decision to join a coalition of investors providing money to put a stop to climate change.The university and its Office of the Chief Investment Officer is the only institutional investor among 28 coalition members in 10 countries, university officials said.

The coalition called the Breakthrough Energy Coalition is led by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, according to university officials.The coalition is a complement to the Mission Innovation initiative, which has 19 member countries dedicated to increasing money available for innovations in clean energy, university officials said. The formations of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition and the Mission Innovation initiative became public Sunday at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. 

The university will also have access to the coalition’s money to solve climate challenges through research. “With access to the private capital represented by investors in he Breakthrough Energy Coalition we can more effectively integrate our public research pipeline to deliver new technology and insights that will revolutionize the way the world thinks about and uses energy,” UC President Janet Napolitano said in a statement.

“We can’t ask for a better partner than the University of California Office of the President and the Office of the Chief Investment Officer to help accomplish the Breakthrough Energy Coalition’s ambitious goal,” Gates said in a statement.

“The UC system — with its world leading campuses and labs — produces the kinds of groundbreaking technologies that will help define a global energy future that is cheaper, more reliable, and does not contribute to climate change,” Gates added. 

40-Year-Old SF Man Dies After Vehicle Crash

A 40-year-old San Francisco man died late Saturday night after single vehicle crash in unincorporated Contra Costa County. At 10:58 p.m., California Highway Patrol officers responded to the crash, happening on northbound San Pablo Damn Road, north of Camino Pablo, near Orinda, according to CHP officials. 

The man was driving a 1992 Nissan pickup truck when his vehicle veered into the opposite lane of traffic and off the roadway, the CHP said. The pickup truck then struck a metal pole and several trees, before overturning multiple times, finally coming to a stop in an embankment, according to CHP officials. Anyone that may have witnessed the crash is asked to contact the CHP Contra Costa at (925) 646-4980.

At Least 27 Baseball Bats with Spikes Found Chained to Poles Around City

The mystery of why baseball bats with spikes driven through them are appearing throughout San Francisco deepened on Friday as police said that at least 27 of these objects have been found around the city. 

San Francisco police received reports beginning Thursday morning that baseball bats were being found chained to poles. These were wooden or metal bats with spikes in them, Sgt. Michael Andraychak said. 

On Thursday night, Andraychak said that there were about 15 of these objects found around the city. Andraychak upped the amount to nearly double that on Friday. He said the most recent was found Friday morning in the Fishermen’s Wharf area. 

Police are investigating various aspects of what Andraychak described as a “very strange” occurrence. Police have not yet reported that there are any suspects.As for what violation this may constitute, Andraychak said that because the bats have been altered with spikes, they would be considered prohibited deadly weapons.