Newly-graduated police officer charged with DUI causing injuries in a collision in Sunset where all 3 victims and drunk driver are Chinese Americans

SAN FRANCISCO — Two days after 28-year-old Chinese American Ryan Kwong graduated from the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) academy, he was off duty and suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol on May 17 that resulted in a serious collision in which three victims in another vehicle were injured and sent to the hospital. All parties involved in the collision were Asians.

Among five occupants in two vehicles in the collision, one occupant in the victims' vehicle suffered life-threatening injuries.

Kwong was arrested after the incident and officially charged by the District Attorney's Office with a total of 11 counts, including 4 counts of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, 4 counts of driving under the influence of alcohol with a .08% blood alcohol concentration causing injury, and 3 counts of reckless driving causing injury.

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that the criminal complaint of the case also included numerous allegations that Kwong was driving at excessive speed recklessly, his blood alcohol concentration was greater than .15%, and he personally inflicted great bodily injury on the victims.

According to the information released by the SFPD, two occupied vehicles were involved in the DUI collision. One vehicle was driven by Kwong with one passenger. Both of them sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Another vehicle had three adult occupants. One occupant sustained life-threatening injuries, and two other occupants had non-life-threatening injuries. All five occupants in two vehicles were transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.

The collision occurred at around 2am on May 17, Saturday, on Sunset Blvd. between Rivera and Santiago Streets in the Sunset District where two vehicles collided.

The videos and photos provided by neighbors of Sunset District showed that Kwong was the driver of a BMW sedan. The other vehicle was a minivan that crashed into a light pole. Both vehicles were badly damaged.

Through the course of the investigation, officers determined that the suspect driver was driving under the influence of alcohol and was placed under arrest, the SFPD said.

The SFPD identified the suspect driver as Kwong who was employed as a new SFPD officer entering field training for two days after graduation from the academy's 284th Recruit Class.

The 284th Recruit Class graduated 31 new police officers on May 15. It was the first time for the SFPD to have more than 30 recruits in one class since February 2019. The newly-graduated officers have begun their 16-week field training at stations across the city.

The SFPD did not provide more information on other 4 occupants in the collision. Sources told Wind Newspaper that all 4 occupants and Kwong were Asians.

Three victims, 2 men and 1 woman, in the minivan were ethnic Chinese and residents of the Sunset District. They were family members aged 50, 49 and 19.

"My thoughts are with those injured in this incredibly upsetting incident. Our police officers work hard to keep San Franciscans safe, and we expect them to follow the law on and off duty—no exceptions," Mayor Daniel Lurie posted his statement on social media X in response to the collision. "Thank you to the officers who responded immediately."

“This incident was incredibly tragic, and my heart goes out to the injured victims,” said outgoing Police Chief Bill Scott. “We will do everything in our power to ensure justice is served in this case. No one is above the law, and our officers know they are expected to obey the law, as well as our strict code of conduct even while off duty.”

"No one is above the law and anyone responsible for a high velocity DUI crash must be held accountable," said District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio in his statement on X. "Sunset Boulevard between Rivera and Santiago was closed most of Saturday morning as city crews cleaned debris."

"The PUC [Public Utilities Commission] had to first disable the electricity to a light pole and remove the pole that one car crashed into and toppled. Then DPW [Department of Public Works] cleaned the street. Thank you to the first responders and city crews who handled this tragic situation," Engardio wrote.

San Francisco Police Officers Association President Tracy McCray issued a statement regarding the collision. "Our hearts go out to the victims and family of this horrible tragedy, and we pray for the victims’ full recovery. There is no excuse for drunk driving, especially for police officers. If the allegations are true, he should be held fully accountable for his actions and the harm he’s caused."

"The San Francisco Police Officers Association does not provide legal representation for allegations that occur off duty, as is the case here," McCray added.