A Cal Fire firefighter who was intentionally run down by a car in San Francisco early Thanksgiving morning remains in critical condition and has been moved to a new hospital.
Albert Bartal, 29, suffered life-threatening injuries when he was hit by a black Mazda CX-7 near Geary Boulevard and Ninth Avenue around 3:45 a.m. on Nov. 24, police said.
Investigators believe the attack occurred after an altercation between Bartal and Eduardo Esquivel, 22, at a Jack in the Box restaurant at Geary Boulevard and 11th Avenue, according to police.
Esquivel was arrested Nov. 29 at a home in South San Francisco and has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other charges. He is being held in jail on $5 million bail.
Esquivel’s girlfriend, Alyssa Tejada, 22, was arrested Monday and has pleaded not guilty to being an accessory to the crime after the fact for allegedly keeping the Mazda from police and planning to have it taken to a body shop to be repaired.
Tejada eventually turned the car over to San Francisco police last Thursday in the city’s Hunters Point neighborhood.
Bartal, who has worked for the past five years as a seasonal firefighter at Cal Fire’s Saratoga Summit Fire Station in Santa Cruz County and is a Marine who served in the Iraq war, had been receiving treatment at San Francisco General Hospital.
However, on Wednesday evening, he was transferred from that hospital to an undisclosed facility, San Francisco General officials said.
Police have set up a relief fund for Bartal, who has a 4-year-old child.
People can make donations to account No. 1379608 at the San Francisco Police Credit Union at 2550 Irving St., San Francisco CA 94122.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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