SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Cash App founder Bob Lee begged for help after being stabbed outside of a luxury apartment building on Main Street near the Bay Bridge, according to reports.
Lee screamed, “Help! Someone stabbed me,” into his phone as he called 911 for himself, surveillance footage and police records obtained by the San Francisco Standard reportedly showed.
San Francisco police said they found the beloved 43-year-old member of the local tech industry suffering from apparent stab wounds just after 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. He later died from his injuries.
The video apparently shows Lee walking up Main Street away from the Bay Bridge after being stabbed and crossing the intersection of Harrison. He then apparently asks for help from someone in a Toyota Camry, shows his wound and collapses to the ground as the Camry drives away.
President of the San Francisco Police Association Tracy McCray appeared on Fox News and commented on the video showing Lee walking around asking for help after being stabbed.
“Unfortunately, no one helped him,” McCray said. “So far, it seems like it is a random act of violence.”
His death shocked the tech world and had many friends and associates calling into question San Francisco’s approach to public safety. Elon Musk called on San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to be tougher on violent criminals. Venture capitalist Matt Ocko said city officials who have enabled “a lawless SF for years, have Bob’s literal blood on their hands,” and urged officials to “take action.”
McCray added that DA Jenkins, who was appointed in July 2022 after the recall of Chesa Boudin and subsequently elected, vowed to take a hardline stance on violent crime in trying to keep violent criminals in jail, but added that the city still has a long way to go.
“Perception is reality in San Francisco, that you can commit a crime and basically go through a revolving door in our criminal justice system and be out,” McCray said.
Police said they do not have many details on the incident including any suspect information. No arrests have been made yet.
Lee was not only the founder of popular mobile payment service Cash App, but also served as chief technology officer for mobile payment service Square, chief product officer of cryptocurrency MobileCoin and had a hand in the development of Android. A longtime member of the Silicon Valley tech community, friends remembered him as “incredibly personable,” and a “force of nature.”
Police are investigating this incident as a homicide. If you have any information about this incident, you are asked to contact the SFPD 24-hour tip line at 415-575-4444. You can also text a tip to TIP411 to begin messaging with SFPD.
