Just hours before a violent confrontation in the city’s troubled Tenderloin neighborhood left a member of his security detail injured, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie called for sweeping reforms to clean up city government.
The incident occurred around 5:40 p.m. Thursday near Cedar and Polk streets, according to the San Francisco Police Department, after several men blocked the mayor’s vehicle in the roadway.
Officers assigned to Lurie’s protective detail confronted the individuals, and the situation quickly escalated into a physical altercation with two male suspects. Video from the scene shows a member of the mayor’s security team being taken to the ground as officers worked to restrain the suspects.
The mayor was not harmed during the incident, but two officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were evaluated by paramedics at the scene.
Police later identified the suspects as 44-year-old Tony Phillips and 33-year-old Abraham Simon. Both were taken into custody and transported to San Francisco County Jail.
Phillips faces several charges, including assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, resisting an executive officer, resisting or obstructing an officer, battery on a peace officer, theft of lost property, possession of drug paraphernalia and contempt of court.
Simon was booked on suspicion of resisting or obstructing an officer and on an active out-of-county warrant for being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Authorities have not said what initially prompted the confrontation or whether the suspects directly threatened the mayor.
Photos published by Mission Local appear to show one suspect handcuffed on the ground surrounded by officers. The outlet reported that three individuals initially blocked the mayor’s vehicle. Lurie allegedly asked them to move. While one person initially complied, that individual later became involved in a physical struggle with a member of the mayor’s security detail.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mayor Lurie’s press secretary Charles Lutvak confirmed the mayor was not directly involved in the altercation.
“There was an altercation this evening involving the mayor’s security detail. The mayor was not involved. We appreciate our SFPD officers for their quick response and for keeping our city safe every day.”
Louis Wong, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, also confirmed that one officer was injured and praised the response of those on scene.
“The San Francisco Police Officers Association is relieved to hear that Mayor Daniel Lurie was not injured in the violent incident that occurred Thursday evening in the Tenderloin,” Wong said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We are grateful that the officers assigned to the mayor’s security detail acted swiftly and courageously to protect him in a dangerous and unpredictable situation.”
Wong added that additional SFPD officers quickly arrived to assist and bring the situation under control, commending their professionalism and commitment to protecting both the public and elected officials. He also wished the injured officer a full and speedy recovery.
The confrontation came just hours after Lurie posted a message and video on Facebook calling for major reforms to San Francisco’s government structure.
“San Francisco needs a reset. Our city charter is one of the longest in the country. It is bloated. It is broken,” Lurie wrote.
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If this was ICE, this attack would have been applauded by the mainstream media, and the two would have had charges dropped, wouldn’t they?