The footage, obtained from a building across the street from the intersection of Mission and Eighth streets, shows Edwin Adams riding north in the middle of Mission Street on Oct. 12 at about 11:24 a.m., pursued by a gray sedan. As Adams approaches the intersection, a man exits the passenger side of what appears to be an unmarked police vehicle blocking the lane and runs at the scooter rider with his arms extended, in what witnesses have described as a football-style tackle.

The man hits the ground. Roughly two seconds later, Adams crashes, though the collision itself is not captured on video. The footage then shows Adams prone against the bus stop. A second unmarked sedan passes the fallen rider, crossing into opposing traffic, before a marked police vehicle enters the frame.

The San Francisco Police Department initially told reporters that Adams died after he "collided with a street fixture" and did not disclose that officers had made physical contact with him. In a statement, the department said officers identified a man wanted on a warrant near Mission and Eighth, attempted to apprehend him, and that he fled on a scooter before colliding with a street fixture and suffering injury. Officers rendered aid and paramedics transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Witnesses had previously told reporters that Adams was tackled off the scooter, prompting the Public Defender's Office to launch its own inquiry. "We knew we had to look into what happened," said Angela Chan, an assistant chief at the office, after seeing three witnesses whose accounts differed from the police statement.

The department has not identified the officers involved, released body camera footage, or made the police report public, citing ongoing investigations. A spokesperson declined to comment on the video, citing an active investigation by the district attorney's Independent Investigations Bureau, which reviews uses of force by police.

Adams was arrested in May on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance for sale and was placed on an ankle monitor while awaiting trial. According to Superior Court records, the sheriff's office sought warrants for his re-arrest four times for violations of his release agreement. Three times he was arrested and quickly released on an ankle monitor. The fourth warrant was issued on Oct. 8, four days before his death. Adams' attorneys say the warrant was issued because his ankle monitor ran out of battery.

The Public Defender's Office says it was not aware of any warrant for Adams' arrest and that it is unclear whether Adams knew of it. Warrants related to ankle monitors are relayed to police, not attorneys, and Adams had no other outstanding warrants, his attorneys said.

Department policy directs officers to treat pursuits of people on electric scooters as they would foot pursuits, citing the difficulty of chasing scooters that can outmaneuver officers on foot or in vehicles.

The Public Defender's Office has filed a complaint with the Department of Police Accountability, the city's law enforcement watchdog, requesting further investigation. Public defenders wrote that the officers involved used excessive force and that the department's failure to disclose their involvement "damaged SFPD's reputation and credibility."

The case has renewed scrutiny of how the department communicates with the public after critical incidents and of the use of ankle monitors as a condition of pretrial release. The district attorney's investigation remains ongoing.