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Drummer Busking at Fisherman's Wharf Takes Down Thief

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San Francisco police patrol car. (Photo: Alex Emslie/KQED)

There are a lot of jokes about drummers. For example, what do you call a drummer without a girlfriend? Homeless.

But a violent incident between a busking drummer and a would-be thief at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf Wednesday could be a set up for a new addition to the drummer joke canon. First, the details:

Around 5:30pm on March 16, a 27-year-old woman attempted to steal from the tip jar of a 57-year-old drummer playing on the sidewalk near Pier 43, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

When the drummer attempted to stop her from taking his hard-earned cash, she began hitting him with a skateboard. In response, he pulled what police described as a “pipe” from his drum set and smacked her on the head, according to the incident report.

Soon after the police arrived, arrested the woman and took her to a nearby hospital for treatment — the drummer’s blow left a gash on her head but, according to the report, her injuries were not life-threatening. The report also declared that the drummer’s attack was in self-defense.

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Calls to the SFPD for updates on the suspect had not been returned by Thursday afternoon.

As for a new drummer joke: What do you get if you try to steal money from a drummer? A beat you can’t dance to.

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