Man charged with eight counts of attempted murder from series of violent attacks on San Francisco pedestrians

A man stabbed, ran over and assaulted several pedestrians and firefighters in San Francisco in a series of violent attacks that stretched over three hours, authorities say.

Anthony Carl Sheldone, 42, from Brownsville, Calif., 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 Monday.

Sheldone first tried to attack multiple people while driving his car on Haight Street, according to prosecutors, who say he ran over a person at a crosswalk who was walking a dog, then drove into oncoming traffic and physically assaulted someone at a bus stop.

He then ran over two people crossing the intersection of Stanyan and Fulton streets, prosecutors said. Sheldone then asked a woman to take off her clothes, and when the woman’s husband confronted him, Sheldone stabbed the man, prosecutors say.

He then allegedly attacked two San Francisco first responders.

More than an hour after the rampage began, Sheldone ran over a 70-year-old pedestrian crossing the street at Van Ness Avenue and Golden Gate Avenue, prosecutors allege. He was eventually arrested by police after he climbed a 35-foot-tall tree and jumped back onto 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 upon a peace officer, one count of evading against 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 asked to call the San Francisco Police Department at (415) 575-4444 or text tips to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.