San Francisco DA slams Elon Musk as ‘reckless and irresponsible’ after tech executive arrested for Bob Lee murder

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins attacked Elon Musk’s “reckless and irresponsible statements” about the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee at a press conference on Thursday.

Tech executive Nima Momeni, 38, was arrested in Emeryville on Thursday morning and booked into San Francisco County Jail on a charge of murder with an enhancement for using a knife, Ms Jenkins confirmed.

Police said that Mr Momeni, the owner of Expand IT, knew Lee but didn’t provide further information about their ties.

Ms Jenkins said Mr Musk’s comments in the early stages of the investigation had “served to mislead the world in their perceptions of San Francisco and also negatively impact the pursuit of justice for victims of crime”.

“He knew nothing about the facts of this case. Nobody did,” she added.

In the hours after Mr Lee’s death, Mr Musk, the Twitter, took to his own platform to call on Ms Jenkins to take tougher action against violent criminals.

“Many people I know have been severely assaulted,” Mr Musk tweeted. “Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately. Is the city taking stronger action to incarcerate repeat violent offenders Brooke Jenkins?”

Lee, the chief product officer at MobileCoin, had been visiting San Francisco for a tech conference from Miami when he was found with fatal stab wounds on outside a luxury high rise apartment on Main St.

According to the Mission Local, police believe Lee and Mr Momeni had been in a car together in the early hours of 4 April when a fight broke out between the pair.

Lee reportedly got out of the vehicle, and was stabbed twice in the chest.

Citing police sources, the news site alleges that the tech exceutive stabbed Lee twice outside the vehicle, and responding officers recovered a knife nearby.