Police just might have a lead in the death of Richard Sprague, the man who lay dying on a Mission District street for hours after an attack early Sunday morning.
As previously reported, 47-year-old San Francisco resident Richard Sprague was found dead in the 100 block of Julian Avenue, near 15th Street, around 7:45 AM Sunday by officers responding to a report of a man lying on the ground, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said.
Witnesses who spoke to Mission Local said that they didn’t realize that Sprague had been the victim of an attack, and that he continued to lie on the street throughout the early morning, crying out as he died.
The person who eventually did call police said the man had been there since 6:30 a.m. and hadn’t moved, police said. According to the Ex, the area resident who summoned the police first thought Sprague was “sleeping it off,” but then saw that he had “bruising on his neck and his stomach (was) bloated and swollen.”
Sprague was pronounced dead at the scene. His cause of death will be announced after an autopsy.
As SFPD continues to investigate Sprague’s death as a homicide, one slender lead has emerged: according to the Ex, on Wednesday a man identified by SF Weekly as 42-year-old Roland Pouncy was arrested, allegedly with Sprague’s ATM card in his possession.
According to Mission Local, Pouncy, who is on probation, was arrested Sunday afternoon near 16th and Mission. “Pouncy has two prior convictions, one for possession of cocaine for sale in 2000 and most recently possession of a controlled substance in 2006,” they report.
However, Pouncy hasn’t been charged with murder, only with felony possession of stolen property, police Officer Albie Esparza told the Ex.
Esparza wouldn’t say if the Pouncy was considered a suspect in Sprague’s death. He is expected to be arraigned today, the Ex reports.
Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the Police Department’s anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.
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