Man Arrested for Attempting to Rob Filipino American Family Visiting SF at Gunpoint
By Bryan Ke
April 26, 2021
A man with a criminal record was arrested for an attempted robbery on a Filipino American family of 18 visiting San Francisco.
What happened: Patrick Elliot, his Filipino wife and 16 other family members, with some as young as six years old, were from Wisconsin and visiting Fisherman’s Wharf on April 19, according to ABC7’s Dion Lim.
- The family parked their car in Powell and the Embarcadero and were planning to look at the sea lions at Pier 39.
- Moments later, an armed 22-year-old man, identified as Carlos Claros, approached a family member with two other men.
- They were attempting to rob the family of their cellphones. The incident was captured on video by one of the family members.
- Elliot stepped in to save his family, saying he would take any shots fired at them.
- He recalled how Claros told another family member, “Ugh, you Asians,” and spit in her direction.
Arrest and history: Patrolling officers from the San Francisco Police Department arrested Claros after following the three men to the Aquatic Park area. The family allegedly saw him throw his gun under a car.
- Claros was arrested for drug possession and possession of a stolen vehicle last year, according to ABC7. He was also involved in strong-armed robberies in 2019 that targeted multiple neighborhoods.
- The suspect was also under probation from a separate 2018 case when he attempted to rob the family at Fisherman’s Wharf, according to KGO.
- Claros is facing six counts of four felonies and two misdemeanors, including attempted robbery with a gun for the recent incident, Rachel Marshall, director of communications for District Attorney Chesa Boudin’s office, said.
- “We filed a motion for his detention, which was granted by a judge. Mr. Claros is on felony probation from a 2018 incident. Given that this is a pending case, we are limited in what else we can share at this time,” Marshall added in the statement.
Other details: During the incident, Elliot said no witnesses helped him and his family.
- “Nobody came over, nobody helped,” he told ABC7. “Just to yell out would go a tremendously long way. It’s embarrassing to our society that nobody will help anymore.”
- He also spoke out about how Claros could still walk on the street despite an extensive arrest history.
- “You hear about the three strike rule that they have and I think one strike, two strikes you’re hurting people,” he said. “There’s no purpose for you to be around anymore.”
Featured Image via ABC7
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