Stolen Luxury Car, Drugs, Guns Seized By SF Police After Months-Long Investigation

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Police say they've seized a classic luxury car, methamphetamine, several illegal guns and more during a months-long investigation in San Francisco.

The investigation began on May 18, when someone reported a stolen trailer with $70,000 worth of equipment inside, the San Francisco Police Department said.

Nearly a month later, officers found the stolen trailer in the 500 block of 32nd Street in the city's Richmond neighborhood. There, they arrested San Francisco resident John Choy on suspicion of possessing property, police said.

Following the arrest, the department's Burglary and Auto Theft Unit kept picking at the case, finding irregularities with other vehicles that were either registered or associated with Choy, police said.

This included a stolen 1989 Yamaha motorcycle parked in front of a home in the same city block where officers earlier in the year had found the stolen trailer, police said.

Officers served a warrant at the home on Sept. 24 and found parts that belonged to the motorcycle, police said.

They also found a stolen 1979 Porsche 911 SC that had been reported stolen out of San Francisco in 2021. Inside that car was the engine of a 1978 Porsche 911 Targa that had also been stolen out of San Francisco, police said.

In addition to the cars, officers seized over a pound of methamphetamine, six handguns, five rifles, silencers, a cache of ammo and other items that had been stolen, police said.

“I want to thank our hard-working officers for their incredible work on this case,” Interim SFPD Chief Yep said in a statement Thursday. “Our Burglary and Auto Theft Unit spent months on this investigation, and our streets are safer because of them. I also want to thank members of Richmond Station and our Tactical Unit who assisted in this case and in taking the suspect into custody.”

Choy, according to the SFPD, may face the following charges:

• 11 counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm
• 11 counts of possession of an assault weapon
• Five counts of possession of a silencer
• Four counts of possession of methamphetamine for sale
• One count of receiving a stolen vehicle
• One count of receiving stolen property
• One count of possession of burglary tools