A California man stabbed, ran over and assaulted pedestrians and firefighters in San Francisco in a series of violent attacks that lasted more than three hours, authorities said.
Anthony Carl Sheldone, 42, of Brownsville, California, was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the unprovoked attacks, which began shortly after 7 a.m. on Sept. 1, the San Francisco district attorney's office announced in a news release Monday.
According to prosecutors, Sheldone first attempted to attack several people while driving his car on Haight Street. He allegedly struck a person walking his dog in a crosswalk, then drove into oncoming traffic and physically assaulted a person waiting at a bus stop.
He then allegedly ran over two people who were crossing at the intersection of Stanyan and Fulton streets, prosecutors said. Sheldone then asked a woman to remove her clothes and when the woman's husband confronted him, Sheldone stabbed the man, prosecutors said.
He then attacked two San Francisco lifeguards.
More than an hour after his attack began, Sheldone struck a 70-year-old pedestrian who was crossing the street at Van Ness Avenue and Golden Gate Avenue, according to prosecutors. He was eventually taken into custody by police after climbing a 35-foot-tall tree and jumping back into the street, according to court records.
Sheldone was charged with eight counts of attempted murder, seven counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, one count of criminal threats, one count of attempted assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of battery with injury to emergency personnel, two counts of assault on a peace officer, one count of evading traffic and one count of evading an officer with willful disregard, according to the district attorney's office.
The case against Sheldone remains active. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the San Francisco Police Department at 415-575-4444 or text TIP411 and start the message with SFPD.
