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image source, Twitter/Bob Lee
Pays tribute to Bob Lee, who founded the popular Cash App and worked at MobileCoin
Police have arrested a self-proclaimed tech entrepreneur in the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco.
The suspect is Nima Momeni, 38, from Emeryville, California. Police said Lee and Momeni knew each other.
According to Momeni’s LinkedIn profile, he is a technology consultant and startup owner.
Police found Lee, 43, with a stab wound near downtown San Francisco on April 4.
He died in hospital from his injuries.
At a press conference Thursday, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott announced Momeni’s arrest.
Momeni has been charged with murder and is currently being held in the San Francisco County Jail, Scott said.
He did not elaborate on how Lee and the suspect met.
In 2011, Momeni’s criminal record shows he was charged with a misdemeanor for carrying a switchblade, but the case was dismissed after he struck a plea bargain.
According to Momeni’s LinkedIn, Momeni is the owner of a company called Expand IT, Inc.
Prosecutors are trying to hold Momeni without bail. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Scott said “the case is not closed” despite his arrest, and an investigation into Lee’s death is ongoing.
Citing police sources, Mission Local reported that Lee and the suspect were in a car together and had an altercation before Lee was stabbed.
Officers first responded to reports of the stabbing on April 4 at approximately 02:35 local time (09:35 GMT).
CCTV footage was seen by the San Francisco Standard showing Mr. Lee walking down a deserted alley asking for help.
He is seen staggering towards a parked car and lifting his shirt to reveal a wound, but the car drives away before the tech entrepreneur falls to the ground.
Police found Mr. Lee unconscious with two stab wounds to the chest in the Rincon Hill neighborhood and began emergency care before taking him to hospital.
He was the Chief Product Officer of the cryptocurrency company MobileCoin.
Lee is also the founder of Cash App, a smartphone-based platform that enables person-to-person money transfers. According to Forbes, the app is popular in the US and is worth $40 billion.
His death garnered many tributes from figures in the US tech industry.
It also sparked criticism of San Francisco officials for their handling of violent crime in the city.
At a press conference Thursday, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins responded to the criticism by saying her office and police “worked tirelessly” to resolve Lee’s case and others.
She also accused those who linked Lee’s murder to San Francisco’s overall safety for making “reckless and irresponsible” statements.
Jenkins specifically named Elon Musk. Who tweeted after Lee stabbed it “San Francisco’s violent crime is horrifying, and when attackers are caught, they are often released quickly.”
“We assumed the wrong circumstances for Lee’s death,” she said. [and] It helped mislead the world in their perception of San Francisco.”
Police statistics show San Francisco’s murder rate is fairly consistent. There were 56 murders last year and 56 the year before last. The city appears to be well on its way toward a similar murder rate this year.
The city has an unusually high rate of property crime, including theft and robbery, but a lower-than-average rate of violent crime compared to other U.S. cities, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Whole Foods temporarily closed its San Francisco flagship store on Monday, citing employee safety concerns.
Other retail giants such as Walgreens and Target have closed stores in the city or reduced hours in recent years over crime concerns.
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