Hapless vigilante botches attempt to terrorize San Francisco sex offender, leads police on chase ending in fiery crash - prosecutors
A violent felon will appear in a San Francisco courtroom Monday, accused of leading seven SFPD patrol cars on a tire-burning chase across the city that ended in a fiery crash, in the aftermath of his latest attempt to terrorize a sex offender.
Prosecutors say an apparently armed Donald Scobie arrived at the victim’s Mission District home at 3:00am on Saturday July 11. He demanded that the “child molester” come outside, so he could “beat the fuck out of you” and “beat your ass” and recorded himself on his phone while doing so.
He had previously sent threatening messages over social media to his target, who was convicted in 2004 of ‘lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14’ and is on the state sex offender registry.
After driving away in a white Jaguar, Scobie refused to stop for police and fled at high speed.
“During the pursuit,” wrote assistant district attorney Rebecca Warren in a motion to detain, “the defendant drove approximately 60 mph in a 25 mph zone on city streets, ran multiple red lights and stop signs, made dangerous turning maneuvers and then…drove onto eastbound I-80 and drove across multiple lanes on the freeway, forcing other motorists to brake abruptly to avoid collisions.”
Social media footage, published by Tenderloin Activities, captured the car being pursued by seven SFPD vehicles onto the Bay Bridge.
The chase ended on the Oakland side of the bridge when the Jaguar crashed and erupted in flames.
“The defendant got out of the car and ran away, leaving three occupants inside the burning car,” wrote Warren.
He was captured moments later after a foot chase during which the pursued man jettisoned various items in his possession. Police did not find a gun, although a search of the car turned up a loaded Glock pistol magazine and drugs packaged for sale.
The court was earlier told that Scobie should be locked up before trial, with prosecutors pointing to prior felony convictions involving guns and violence, and a continued pattern of violent conduct. He was a danger to the victim, to the community and to law enforcement, they said.
He was nevertheless released.
Scobie will appear Monday for a preliminary hearing, at which a judge will determine whether the evidence is sufficient to allow the case to proceed to trial.
He has pleaded not guilty to six charges including making criminal threats, evading police and drug and ammunition possession.
Monday will also see a very different approach to alleged child sex offenders play out in the same courtroom as Scobie’s case: prosecutors expect a representative from Chris Hansen’s TruBlu production company to give evidence at the preliminary hearing of Jorge Nieto – one of five men arrested in a July-August sting operation, filmed by TruBlu, after allegedly arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes.
The case continues.
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