What Happened in San Francisco on Wednesday, May 20th, 2026
Yesterday in San Francisco, police responded to 154 incidents, up 57% from 98 the day before. 29 violent crimes were reported, and officers made 70 arrests.
The most common incident type was Drugs & Alcohol, accounting for 29 of 154 reports (19% of total). The most active neighborhood was Tenderloin with 32 incidents.
Overall activity was 50% above the 30-day average of 103 incidents per day.
Incident Categories
Yesterday, San Francisco reported incidents across 8 categories. Drugs & Alcohol led with 29 incidents (19% of total), followed by Administrative with 26 and Assault & Violence with 25.
Domestic & Family — up 100% over the past 7 days (26 incidents this week vs 13 the prior week).
Incident Category Breakdown
Overview
Violent Crime
29 violent crimes were reported in San Francisco yesterday, accounting for 19% of all incidents. This is up 45% from the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:25 | Simple Assault | Mission | 300 12Th Street |
| 02:13 | Simple Assault | Castro/Upper Market | 17Th St & Castro St & Market St |
| 02:16 | Simple Assault | South of Market | 08Th St & Ringold St |
| 04:00 | Simple Assault | Tenderloin | 600 Ellis Street |
| 04:45 | Simple Assault | Tenderloin | 200 Mcallister Street |
| View All | |||
Arrests
San Francisco police made 70 arrests yesterday. 12 arrests were related to violent incidents.
Arrests accounted for 45% of all incidents. Of the 70 arrests, 29 were Drugs & Alcohol, 13 were Administrative, and 10 were Assault & Violence. This is up 84% from the 38 arrests the prior day.
| Time | Offense | Neighborhood | Block |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:10 | Traffic Violation Arrest | South of Market | 100 Block of 6Th Street |
| 00:34 | Drug Violation | South of Market | 0 Block of 6Th Street |
| 01:25 | Simple AssaultViolent | Mission | 300 Block of 12Th Street |
| 02:13 | Simple AssaultViolent | Castro/Upper Market | 17Th St & Castro St & Market St |
| 03:18 | Drug Violation | Tenderloin | 200 Block of Turk Street |
| View All | |||
Neighborhood Activity
Yesterday, incidents were reported across 30 neighborhoods in San Francisco. Tenderloin had the highest activity with 32 incidents, followed by Mission with 30 and South of Market with 27.
3 specific locations have appeared in the top 10 most active blocks for 4 or more of the last 7 days, including 3000 16Th Street (6 of 7 days).
Explore all neighborhoods and their trends in San Francisco Neighborhood Safety. →
Hourly Breakdown
Activity in San Francisco yesterday peaked between 5 PM – 6 PM with 16 incidents during that hour.
Overnight (12–6 AM) saw 22 incidents, morning (6 AM–12 PM) had 42, afternoon (12–6 PM) had 55, and evening (6 PM–12 AM) had 35. Afternoon was the busiest period overall.
Wednesdays in San Francisco typically average 140 incidents. Yesterday's total of 154 is 14 incidents above that 8-week average (10% higher).
How Does This Compare?
The 7-day rolling average is 109.4 incidents per day, above the 30-day average of 102.6 — suggesting a busier-than-normal stretch.
Key Patterns
30-Day High: 154 Incidents
Today's 154 incidents is the highest single-day count in the past 30 days. The 30-day average is 103 per day — today is 50% above that baseline. Prior to today, the last time the count was this high was 40 days ago.
Domestic & Family Up 100% This Week
Domestic & Family incidents have risen sharply: 26 in the past 7 days compared to 13 the prior 7 days — a 100% increase.
Full Incident Log
This log contains all 154 incidents posted on sfgov.org on Wednesday, May 20th, 2026.
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