Three arrested after triple stabbing at 16th and Mission BART plazas

Three people were arrested after a daytime stabbing that left three men injured at 16th and Mission streets on Saturday, in the middle of a city funded effort to activate the BART plazas with vendors and family activities, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

The attack occurred on the same day a new pilot program launched at the 16th Street BART plazas. The city funded pop up featured seven vendors along with activities such as face painting and a piñata making workshop at both plazas. Mayor Daniel Lurie had visited the area just hours earlier, speaking with vendors, city workers and ambassadors involved with the pilot, according to the account provided.

Police said officers responded at approximately 4:56 p.m. to reports of a stabbing at 16th and Mission. When they arrived, they found three men suffering from apparent stab wounds. Officers provided aid at the scene until paramedics arrived and transported the victims to a hospital.

According to the police statement, two of the three victims are suffering from life threatening injuries. The third victim’s injuries were described as non life threatening. The statement released by the department did not include updates on their conditions beyond that initial assessment.

Initial news reports indicated that one suspect had been arrested following the incident. In a later statement issued on Sunday, the San Francisco Police Department confirmed that officers arrested two additional suspects later on Saturday, bringing the total number of arrestees to three.

The three people arrested were identified by police as 37 year old Luis Enrique Lopez Brito, 30 year old Jose Alfredo Lopez Brito and 45 year old Mariel Cahvich. According to the department, the Lopez Britos were booked on suspicion of conspiracy and assault likely to create great bodily injury. Police said Cahvich was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, conspiracy and assault likely to produce great bodily injury.

A preliminary police investigation described a sequence of confrontations that escalated into violence. Investigators said the first suspect approached one of the victims and a verbal confrontation began. That verbal dispute then turned physical, according to the statement.

Police said the victim fled that first encounter and went to a group he knew nearby to ask for help. The same suspect then followed and approached the victim and that group, the statement said. Another physical altercation broke out.

According to the department, during this second fight the initial suspect was physically assaulted and suffered life threatening injuries. Another suspect received non life threatening injuries. Police said all three injured men at the scene had apparent stab wounds, but the statement did not clarify which individuals were initially considered victims and which were suspects, beyond the reference to the “first suspect” and “another suspect.”

The police account did not specify what prompted the initial confrontation, the exact location of each altercation within the 16th and Mission area, or how many weapons were involved. The number of people present in the group approached by the victim was also not detailed.

Saturday’s violence unfolded against the backdrop of a city backed effort to change how the 16th Street BART plazas are used. The new pilot program aims to “activate” the plazas by bringing in vendors and family friendly programming. According to the description in the report, the debut event included seven vendors and children’s activities at both plazas at 16th Street.

Earlier that day, Mayor Lurie toured the plazas and spoke with participants in the pilot, including vendors, city workers and ambassadors. The report did not indicate whether the mayor was still in the area when the stabbing occurred, or whether any of the pilot’s staff, vendors or attendees were directly affected.

The San Francisco Police Department described the case as an open and active investigation. No information was released about a possible motive, whether officers recovered a weapon, or whether investigators believe anyone else was involved beyond the three people already arrested.

Police have asked anyone with information about the incident to contact the department’s tip line at 415 575 4444 or to text a tip to TIP411 with the message beginning with “SFPD.” Authorities did not say whether they are seeking additional witnesses from among those who attended the pop up event or regularly use the BART plazas.

The 16th and Mission intersection, which sits above the 16th Street BART station and at the edge of the Mission District’s commercial corridors, has long been a busy transit and gathering point. The city funded pilot is part of a broader effort, described in the report, to bring more organized activities and commerce to the often crowded plazas.

As of the latest police statement referenced in the report, no court dates or charging decisions from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office had been announced. The police did not release booking photos or further background information on the three people arrested.

Anyone who was in the area around 4:56 p.m. on Saturday and witnessed the confrontation or its lead up is being urged by police to come forward. Officers said they are still piecing together the full sequence of events that led from the initial verbal confrontation to a triple stabbing in one of the Mission District’s busiest public spaces.