Man who died in SoMa police chase was wanted for letting his ankle monitor die, his lawyers say

The man who died after a police pursuit near Eighth and Mission streets has been identified as Edwin Adams, 56. His public defenders told Mission Local and the San Francisco Chronicle that the warrant officers were acting on was for failing to keep his ankle monitor charged.

Adams was out of custody on electronic monitoring while other charges were pending. San Francisco Superior Court records show the warrant was issued on Oct. 10, less than a week before the chase, Mission Local reported. Sheriff's spokesperson Tara Moriarty said deputies had asked for it after Adams violated the terms of his monitoring. The Chronicle reported that he got a "negative" progress report from the pretrial monitoring agency in mid-September.

What witnesses and police say

SFPD has said Adams, who was on a motorized scooter, "collided with a street fixture" during the pursuit and later died at the hospital. Three witnesses told Mission Local that a man who appeared to be a plainclothes officer got out of a gray Ford Fusion that had been following Adams and tackled him off the scooter into a bus shelter, where his head hit a metal pole. The Chronicle reported that an unmarked gray Ford was at the scene and that witnesses described an undercover car chasing Adams. Police have not confirmed which vehicles were involved.

Police Chief Derrick Lew said officials are investigating whether use of force caused Adams' death, and that the district attorney's independent investigators were notified. Under the DA's agreement with SFPD, those investigators lead the criminal review in cases like this, with a goal of finishing within six months, Mission Local reported.

His record and his family

Jail records show Adams was booked at least four times between March and September, on nonviolent drug charges and contempt of court. He had not gone to trial on any of them. His brother, Curtis Adams, said the coroner's office first told him Edwin died in a traffic accident. He described his brother as a "down-to-earth dude" who adored his 7-year-old daughter. The brothers, originally from New Jersey, lived in Pittsburg, the Chronicle reported.

The public defender's office said it hopes the city will independently look into why police chose to pursue Adams. The sheriff's department said it does not know whether he was wearing the monitor that day.