image source, Twitter/Bob Lee
A tribute to Bob Lee who founded the popular Cash App and worked for MobileCoin
Police have arrested a self-described tech entrepreneur in connection with the San Francisco stabbing of Cash app founder Bob Lee.
The suspect is 38-year-old Nima Momeni of Emeryville, California. Mr Lee and Mr Momeni knew each other, police said.
According to Mr Momeni’s LinkedIn profile, he is a technology consultant and startup owner.
Police found Mr Lee, 43, unconscious with stab wounds near downtown San Francisco on April 4.
He was critically injured and died at the hospital.
At a news conference on Thursday, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott announced Mr Momeni’s arrest.
Mr Scott said Mr Momeni had been charged with murder and was now being held in the San Francisco County Jail.
He did not elaborate on how Mr Lee and the suspect knew each other.
In 2011 Mr Momeni was charged with a misdemeanor charge of carrying a switch plate, criminal records show, but the case was dismissed after he accepted a plea.
Mr. Momeni’s LinkedIn says he is the owner of Expand IT, Inc.
Prosecutors are seeking bail for Mr Momeni. The trial is scheduled to take place on Friday.
Mr Scott said the arrest was “not closed” and an investigation into Mr Lee’s death was ongoing.
Citing police sources, Mission Local said Mr Lee and the suspect were in a vehicle together and had an argument before Mr Lee was stabbed.
Police officers first responded to reports of a stabbing at around 02:35 local time (09:35 GMT) on April 4.
The San Francisco Standard has seen CCTV footage which shows Mr Lee walking down a deserted alley, looking for help.
He can be seen stumbling towards a parked car, raising his shirt to reveal his injury, but the vehicle drives off before the tech entrepreneur falls to the ground.
Police found Mr Lee unconscious with two stab wounds to his chest in the Rincon Hill area and began providing first aid before taking him to hospital.
He was the Chief Product Officer of cryptocurrency company MobileCoin.
Mr Lee is also credited with founding Cash App, a smartphone-based platform that allows person-to-person money transfers. According to Forbes, the app is popular in the US and is worth $40b.
His death drew many tributes from figures in the US tech industry.
It also sparked criticism of officials in San Francisco for their response to the city’s violent crime.
During Thursday’s news conference, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins praised her office and the police for “working tirelessly” to solve Mr Lee’s case and others.
He also accused those who linked Mr Lee’s killing to overall security in San Francisco of making “irresponsible and irresponsible” statements.
Ms. Jenkins specifically mentioned Elon Musk by name, Mr Lee tweeted after the stabbing “Violent crime in San Francisco is brutal and even when the attackers are caught, they are released immediately.”
Tweets like the one he said “assumed false circumstances surrounding Mr Lee’s death [and] helped mislead the world in their view of San Francisco”.
San Francisco’s homicide rate is fairly consistent, according to police statistics. There were 56 murders last year and 56 the year before that. The city is on track for a similar homicide rate this year.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the city has an unusually high rate of property crimes, such as burglary and theft, although average rates of violent crime are low compared to other U.S. cities.
Whole Foods temporarily closed its flagship San Francisco store on Monday.
Other retailers such as Walgreens and Target have also closed locations in the city in recent years or reduced opening hours due to crime.
