2 men who allegedly committed crimes in front of SF federal building charged with felonies

SAN FRANCISCO ( KRON ) — Two San Francisco men who allegedly committed crimes while standing in front of the surveillance cameras at the federal building on Seventh and Mission streets have been charged with felonies, the Department of Justice announced Thursday. Rodolfo Sagastume-Pineda was indicted by a federal grand jury. Natalin Mauricio Martinez-Hernandez had a federal criminal complaint filed against him.

Both men are charged with committing felonies within view of surveillance cameras mounted outside the federal building to monitor the streets.

Sagastume-Pineda

The complaint against Sagastume-Pineda alleges he was on the sidewalk on Seventh Street when he was seen engaging in a “series of hand-to-hand drug transactions.” The four transactions allegedly occurred on April 24, 2023, over the course of several minutes. He was arrested that same day, according to the DOJ.

The complaint also alleges Sagastume-Pineda had a backpack on him at the time that contained 96.7 grams of fentanyl and over 30 grams of methamphetamine. The backpack also had 11.1 grams of heroin, 4.3 grams of cocaine, and a digital scale in it, the complaint said.

Sagastume-Pineda was indicted on June 6 and charged with two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

After appearing before a judge, he was ordered detained. He will next appear in court on July 12.

Hernandez

Hernandez was observed on three occasions near the federal building on Seventh Street, the DOJ said. On Aug. 14, 2022, San Francisco police officers were alerted to shots fired near the federal building. Security footage showed Hernandez near the federal building arguing with an unidentified man who brandished a machete. The video allegedly showed Hernandez pulling a firearm from a backpack and shooting at the man. The man was not struck, and the video showed Hernandez leaving on a scooter.

On a second occasion, on Oct. 24, 2022, SFPD officers were alerted to Hernandez’s presence near the federal building. However, he left the area before officers arrived. He was arrested the next day after he was spotted near the federal building again. At the time of his arrest, Hernandez allegedly had a backpack on that contained a loaded, black 9mm Ruger Security 9 semi-automatic pistol, silver brass knuckles, and three .38 caliber bullets. Officers also recovered multiple baggies containing 104.5 grams of fentanyl, the DOJ said.

In the complaint, Hernandez is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. He is next scheduled to appear in court on June 9.

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