Two workers at a San Francisco homeless shelter were arrested for allegedly helping a gunman evade capture after he shot a police officer.
Oliver Barcenas, 36, and Erika Porter, 45, both employees at Bayshore Navigation Center, were taken into custody Friday on suspicion of harboring an attempted murder suspect, according to an announcement from the San Francisco Police Department. The arrests stem from the May 31 shooting of an SFPD officer during a chaotic late-night pursuit near the Bay Bridge.
“Attempting to assist an armed gunman evade capture after shooting a police officer is unconscionable,” Chief Derrick Lew said in a written statement released by the department.
“Thankfully, our officers captured this violent suspect despite the efforts by two individuals to help him,” Lew continued. “I want to thank all our officers who took this dangerous suspect off our streets and our diligent investigators who followed up to hold the two navigation center employees accountable.”
The incident began when officers attempted to stop a vehicle near the Bay Bridge around 10:29 p.m. On May 31. The driver, identified as Norris Reed III, 36, ignored commands and led police on a pursuit through city streets before crashing into a concrete barrier, according to police accounts.
Reed and a passenger were ordered to exit the vehicle. Reed then allegedly opened fire on two officers, striking one, Brittney Taylor, multiple times in the leg. Taylor, a nearly 10-year veteran of the department recognized in a 2025 department Facebook post for saving a life in the South of Market neighborhood, underwent surgery and is expected to survive.
“Thankfully, she is expected to survive but still faces a long road to recovery,” Lew said in earlier remarks about Taylor’s condition.
Reed fled on foot while the passenger was injured during the exchange of gunfire. Officers returned fire, and a nearby gas station was left riddled with bullet holes from the shootout.
About two hours after the crash, Reed was arrested at Bayshore Navigation Center, a city-funded shelter operated by nonprofit Five Keys on behalf of San Francisco’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. The facility accommodates up to 128 long-term guests and provides case management and referral services.
At the center, Barcenas is accused of providing Reed with fresh clothing to conceal his identity while Porter allegedly made false statements to police during their search for the suspect. Both workers were employed at the navigation center when the events unfolded.
Barcenas has a prior criminal record that includes a 2018 guilty plea for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, for which he was sentenced to seven years in jail. Mission Local reported that Barcenas was shot in the back by police in 2018, a detail that adds complexity to his background.
Reed, who is from Oakland, now faces 29 charges including two counts of attempted murder and other felonies. He was on parole for kidnapping at the time of the shooting, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The passenger in Reed’s vehicle was also critically injured during the gunfight and hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.
Mayor Daniel Lurie met with Taylor’s family at the hospital following the shooting and condemned the violence. “We will not tolerate violence of any kind to anyone who would consider to San Francisco to commit a crime,” Lurie said. “The message is clear. We will find you and we will arrest you.”
In the viral moment that preceded the shelter workers’ arrests, Reed had allegedly led police on a high-speed chase after a license plate reader flagged his vehicle as linked to an East Bay robbery. The pursuit ended in a crash and shootout near Jerrold Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard, not far from Highway 101, where Taylor was struck multiple times before Reed escaped on foot. The driver was later found near Bayshore Boulevard and Costa Street and taken into custody without incident, while the passenger remained injured in the vehicle.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office is involved in prosecuting the case. Police have said they plan to hold a town hall meeting to discuss the original shooting incident, though no date has been set.