Firefighters tackle alleged truck thief

A man who stole a truck from a construction site in San Francisco’s Lower Haight neighborhood Wednesday morning left a trail of damaged cars along a circuitous route to City Hall, where he was tackled by firefighters, police said.

The man in his 20s was taken into custody at about 10:30 a.m. when a fire engine crew that happened to be in the area of Polk and Grove streets stopped him, fire spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said.

The man had stolen a truck from a construction site near the corner of Laguna and Haight streets and hit multiple vehicles as he took off, police spokesman Officer Gordon Shyy said.

He went by the Tower Car Wash at the corner of South Van Ness Avenue and Mission Street, then drove the wrong way up 11th Street, where he was spotted by police, Shyy said.

Police followed him to the corner of Polk and Grove near City Hall and tried to pull him over. The suspect jumped out of the car there and tried to run, but the fire crew tackled him and police took him into custody, Shyy said.

The man, who has not yet been identified, could face charges of hit-and-run, driving a stolen vehicle and possibly reckless driving, Shyy said. No one was hurt during the incident.