Ricky Pearsall: San Francisco police officer reports how he rushed to help a 49ers rookie after he was shot

SAN FRANCISCO — John Windle says he was leaving his office on Geary Street in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon when he witnessed something he had never seen before.

“I saw two guys fighting about 20 yards away from me, 30 yards at the most. And I thought, oh great, another street fight. And then boom, boom, boom,” Windle said.

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The scuffle and shootout that Windle witnessed involved 49ers rookie and first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall.

Pearsall was shot through the chest after a 17-year-old attempted to rob him as he walked down the street near Union Square.

The incident occurred just hours after he appeared at an autograph signing just a few kilometers away.

“It was just a shock at the time. It was only later that I started shaking,” Windle said.

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Windle tells ABC7 News reporter Tim Johns that the whole encounter happened very quickly and was over within about a minute.

He said that shortly after the shots were fired, he saw police officers stationed nearby running toward the scene.

“The police response was fantastic. They had the place under siege,” Windle said.

The first officer to arrive was Sergeant Joelle Harrell. Sergeant Harrell is described as a hero who may have saved Pearsall’s life.

ABC News spoke to her on Monday.

Harrell told ABC News reporter Melissa Adan that he heard the gunshots and then ran to find Pearsall lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

RELATED: 49ers place Ricky Pearsall on NFI list after WR shot in chest during attempted robbery in SF

“I use my right hand, because that’s my strong hand, to close the wound. And then I put it up here to hold it in place,” said Sergeant Harrell.

The sergeant said while they waited for paramedics to arrive, she knew the most important thing was to keep Pearsall conscious and calm.

She described in detail some of her conversations during those critical minutes.

“I know you don’t know me, but please trust me, God is with us. Your time has not come yet, okay, your time has not come yet. I want you to keep breathing. Just breathe,” said Sergeant Harrell.

Thanks to Pearsall’s description, the SFPD was able to identify and arrest the suspect.

The NFL rookie has now been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.

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But the reputational damage the incident has caused to San Francisco may be harder to repair.

On Monday morning, we went back to Union Square to talk to tourists about their perceptions of the city after the shooting.

Almost everyone told us that they had heard before their visit that the city was unsafe.

Among them were Billy Seiba and his family, who were visiting from Texas.

“It was dirty, you heard a lot about crime and things like that,” Seiba said.

INTERACTIVE: Take a look at the ABC7 Neighborhood Safety Tracker

Seiba says that despite what he’s heard, he was pleasantly surprised by San Francisco. He tells us that he and his family enjoyed their time in the city by the bay and would love to return. He also says that while the Pearsall incident is unfortunate, he thinks it could happen in any major city.

“I work in downtown Houston and it’s much worse there,” Seiba said.

This opinion is also largely supported by statistics.

According to the ABC7 News Neighborhood Safety Tracker, the robbery rate across the city of San Francisco has dropped 4% over the past 12 months compared to the average over the past four years.

And in the Central District, which includes Union Square, it is falling even further and is six percent below the previous average.