Apparently, our neighborhood thief has a violent rape rap sheet. My bear spray, bokken, & I are still not intimidated.
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
It seems that a woman got a serial package thief arrested today, after setting a trap and spraying him with bear spray. “Professional food pornographer” Sonya Yu tweeted the ordeal as it unfolded. Select tweets appear below in chronological order.
@scoutj he’s the one that’s been rampantly stealing packages in our neighborhood. I put out a bait package today & will be quietly working. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
I GOT HIM WITH THE BEAR SPRAY BUT HE ESCAPED.
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
I AM PUTTING HIM UNDER CITIZENS ARREST RIGHT NOW WITH 4 COPS. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
HE IS BEIN TAKEN AWAY IN AN AMBULANCE CUZ OF THE BEAR SPRAY I DOUSED HIM WITH.
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
I WAS ALSO HIT WITH BEAR SPRAY BLOW BACK, SO MY FACE IS BURNING BUT IT FEELS SO GOOD. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
Tho imagining how bad he’s suffering (considering I emptied half a canister of bear spray onto him) makes me feel better.
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
@nettatheninja he didn’t try to attack me but he did have a knife. I was above him on the 1st floor balcony, dousing him with bear spray. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
@whitneyreeder I just citizen arrested & bear sprayed a notorious, violent thief/rapist in the neighborhood that everyone has been after.
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
@whitneyreeder he steals packages from door stoops – stole $1K+ worth from us earlier in the fall. He’s been targeting our neighborhood. — Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
JUST GOT A CALL FROM THE COPS: THEY’RE OFFICIALLY BOOKING HIM FOR ATTEMPTED BURGLARY & NOT JUST TRESPASSING. VICTORY!
— Sonya Yu (@sonyayu) November 27, 2012
Noe Valley SF also has some video.
 November 27, 2012 It seems that a woman got a serial package thief arrested today, after setting a trap and spraying him with bear spray. “Professional food pornographer” Sonya Yu tweeted […]</p>
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I congratulate her on her victory. But please, someone tell me exactly wtf is a ‘food pornographer’?
Mr. Dole, remember that episode of Seinfeld where George tried to combine food and sex?
Hint – it’s not literal.
Definitely blaming the (bear spray) victim this time…
I the vigilante justice! We should collaborate and do a thorough photo essay of vigilantes and heroes in the Mission.
I had 3 packages stolen from my house in the Mission. I’m so glad you got him!!!
I would be SHOCKED if this went ANYWHERE with SF District Attorney office….but hey, you never know….stranger things have happened.
I am sure a plea deal with some kind of probation will come out of it.
i’d imagine the DA is probably more worried about some vigilante assaulting alleged criminals with bear spray than someone stealing a FedEx package . . .
Thanks, you’re wrong.
La dee da- It is likely a plea deal will result as 95%+ of all criminal cases end in pleas. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. What time he ends up getting will depend largely on his record. It’s not good that he had a knife on him and this will make the DA less willing to make a “lighter” deal. If we find out what the DA’s office actually charges, we would have a better idea of what the potential outcomes are.
He’ll probably try to sue her for using the bear spray on him.
Ah, that’s what was going on. Walked by when then had him sitting in the ambulance. Looked like he had pissed himself. Guess that was bear spray.
that’s why I use a PO box
I wonder if this is the same guy who walked out with my DeWalt compound miter saw two Saturdays ago? He had the audacity to look straight into our security camera, police got a clear image of him. Tall black man.
Perp here was not black, but nice try.
Sure he was. Watch the video linked above. Nice try to you too.
Nice try x2! Just because he’s wearing black, and dirty, doesn’t mean he’s black….
http://twitter.com/gmbrickley/status/273666139022839808/photo/1
Hey, you two — get a room. No need to determine here the race of the perp — I’m sure the DA can figure it out.
He is black. I saw him sitting in the ambulance.
that s racial!
Get your stuff delivered to work instead.
If you leave your property and attack someone (even a criminal) it is assault.
Two basic rules:
1.) Stay on your property
2.) Tell the police: “I was in fear for my life”
She should take down those tweets. Otherwise, well done little ninja.
Unfortunately given the history of this situation and the obvious fact that this guy is a sleazeball, Sonya may have some real problems.
CA law limits pepper spray use for self defense to 2.5oz canisters. Most bear sprays are well over that (typically around 8 oz). Considering this fact, and the 8th tweet on this thread (she was above him on a balcony out of knife’s way), Sonya may be susceptible to legal issues.
So yeah, Tim is probably right. He could most likely sue. Imagine a comment thread on this site if a cop used bear spray instead of pepper spray on a perp…
Also, most states (except maybe Texas!) discourage vigilante justice. When and how physical force can be used to protect inanimate objects (as distinguished from self-defense or defense of another person) is the subject to a long and complicated debate, but if you’re interested try googling “Katko v. Briney” and “justification defense property crimes.” (source: I’m a lawyer)
Given the facts that we have Sonya is not likely to have serious legal issues:
- Bear spray use was likely legitimate. There are a couple of different theories she could use to justify her use of the bear spray. One is the lawful ejection of a trespasser. The owner or lawful occupant of a building can use reasonable force to make a trespasser leave. Bear spray is non-lethal force, the woman has a history of trespassers stealing her shit, etc. This was also a legitimate use of force to protect property. The woman saw the man trying to steal her property and used a reasonable amount of force to prevent him from doing so. There are a couple of other theories that would make the force legitimate, especially if they’re charging him with attempted burglary (unlawful entry of a dwelling to commit a felony). Burglary of a currently occupied house is considered a violent felony in the state of California and you can use reasonable force to stop a violent felony. The bear spray is reasonable in this case.
- The legality of the bear spray use: We don’t know if the canister was over 2.5oz, but the police don’t have to charge every crime they observe and it is not likely that Sonya will be charged in this case as she has a really, really good necessity defense. It is unlikely a jury in SF would be interested in convicting her for illegal use of tear gas and it would be dumb of the DA’s office to pursue this charge against her (assuming she wasn’t using legal spray).
- This is not vigilante justice. Sonya used legal force to stop a felony in progress, prevent damage to her property and to stop a burglary. This is legal under CA law and, therefore, not vigilante. She informed the police after the stopped the crime and they arrested the suspect. (Source: I’m a crim. defense attorney).
I hope you’re right.
is everyone in the mission either a barista/musician or a 30-something lawyer? (source: i’m a 30-something lawyer)
naw it’s just GG that’s all of those things at once…
Sadly, pretty sure no one who’s heard me play guitar would be generous enough to call me a “musician”…
hey, I heard you were dead
If it was an empty box, I do not believe it was a felony, now was it?
The attempted burg could still be a felony. She just has to have a reasonable belief that she’s preventing a felony.
Sue? She could be arrested and convicted of a felony far worse than the one he was committing.
And which felony would that be?
Assault with an illegal weapon
Sorry, but improper use of tear gas is a 16, 2, 3 felony (or a misdo that carries up to 1 year in county) and first degree burglary (burglary of an inhabited dwelling) is a 2,3,4 triad. So, in fact, even if she was committing a crime (unlikely), she could not be arrested for a worse felony than the one he was committing.
Finally someone stands up to an asshole instead of just taking pictures of the crime and putting it on the internet. I have a bad feeling she will have to give the scumbag some money to settle in the end.
you’re so right. it’s too bad she her adrenaline high led her to brag about it (and her happiness at his pain). she should prob spend less time tweeting today, and more time lining up a lawyer. no pity for the dude at all, but she should be a little more sensible.
+1
Why blur out her profile pic and not user name?
Blur what now?
As someone who took pictures and posted them on the internet (as I was asleep when the crime took place) I’d love to know the name (first only) of this guy arrested to see if he is the same guy who was arrested a couple of blocks from my house caught red handed trying to make off with the bikes that were enclosed, (and looked very much like the guy in our blurry photographs), found to have 80+ bikes in his apartment (although the SFPD never did show me any photos of these bikes), and eventually plead out to a single count of possession of stolen property, and given time served.
why don’t you give THAT person’s name and then someone can tell you if it’s the same…
If it’s the guy on the bike posted up above by hmmm, it isn’t the same guy.
I KNOW, I’LL GET MY PACKAGES SENT TO MY HOUSE IN THE MISSION WHILE I’M AT WORK!
“what a crazy bitch”
Someone stole my shoes (both pairs) off my side porch, and, this morning, I had to wear flip flops. Makes me want to install surveillance cameras.
I for one am glad that the powerful were able to defeat the powerless again. Thank god for webcams, Japanese swords, and the free time to lay in wait and ambush someone for taking your toys.
Obvious troll is obvious.
Also, commenting commenter is commenting.
YOU ARE BLOWING MY MIND
If there’s a serial package thief, how hard would it be to put a package with a tracking device in it and wait till you see it move on its own accord?
Call the cops, no need to bear-spray the dude (though, if he’s really hairy, maybe the bear spray is justified…).
but that would eliminate the opportunity to violently assault someone and then brag about it.
So you’re saying that you are totally OK with people stealing other people’s stuff, because you’re NOT OK with people trying to figure out how to prevent people stealing other people’s stuff?
i’m not going to try and decipher what you wrote there. try again in English.
So, we’ve established that you’re incapable of reading English at a 7th grade level, thanks. I’m not surprised, given the woeful state of public education, these days (not to mention your abhorrence of the shift key). Is there some way that I can rhetorically demonstrate your moral emptiness that you are more likely to comprehend?
Oh, wait…
Um…
How about, “YOU POOPY DOO DOO HEAD DUM DUM!”
There you go.
“get a room you two”
Waiting to see how amusingly far off topic you guys can get . . .
“rhetorically demonstrate your moral emptiness”
poetry.
You’re welcome! We Irish often lapse into poetry, when drunk.
@Crab y Monkey, damn. I think I was drunk when I wrote that…
It wasn’t that long ago that UPS etc. wouldn’t leave anything that wasn’t signed for, or secured behind a gate or building door. They did this because, y’know, SF has a lot of shady people walking the street.
I’m not sure why they changed their minds and think it’s OK to treat the Mission and Bernal like they’re Blackhawk. I have to remember to ask the driver next time a package arrives.
This chic is fricken Psycho. She chased him with a sword. Ever heard of calling the Police? I feel bad for her boyfriend.
Boyfriend? heheh.