San Francisco police have upgraded a fatal pedestrian collision in the SoMa neighborhood to a murder investigation after surveillance footage showed the driver acted deliberately, according to KQED.

What the cameras showed

Surveillance video captured the driver stopping the vehicle, then allegedly steering it directly into a pedestrian and running over the victim, according to investigators. The incident date, the victim’s identity, and other details have not been released.

The case was initially treated as a hit-and-run. After detectives reviewed the footage, they concluded the act was intentional and upgraded the charge to murder.

A suspect is in custody, NBC Bay Area reported. Police have not released the suspect’s name or details of the arrest.

SoMa and pedestrian safety

The South of Market neighborhood is one of San Francisco’s densest urban corridors, with heavy foot, bicycle, and vehicle traffic converging at dozens of high-volume intersections.

San Francisco adopted the Vision Zero program in 2014, pledging to eliminate all traffic fatalities. The city has not met that goal, and SoMa consistently ranks among the neighborhoods with the highest rates of pedestrian collisions, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

Upgrading the charge from hit-and-run to murder signals that prosecutors intend to prove intent. Most fatal traffic cases are charged as vehicular manslaughter, which does not require proving a deliberate decision to kill.

Next steps

The suspect faces an arraignment hearing where formal charges will be entered. The San Francisco District Attorney’s office has not said which specific counts will be filed. Prosecutors are expected to rely heavily on the surveillance footage as evidence.