Here's what happened: a pedestrian was struck and killed after she apparently confronted a driver who had driven onto the sidewalk. Let that sink in. A woman was walking, a car encroached on her space, she objected, and she ended up dead. The driver fled the scene.

The suspect's defense reportedly included a claim that the victim threw gasoline at his car. As one local SF resident put it: "Dude claims the lady threw gasoline at his car but then parks at a gas station to decide if he should flee from the cops? Not the brightest story to conjure up."

The absurdity of that defense aside, let's be clear about what's at stake. Even if there had been some kind of altercation, as another San Francisco resident noted: "Even if she hit the hood of his car, he doesn't get to kill her for that." That's not how civilized society works. You don't get to use a two-ton vehicle as a weapon because someone irritated you.

Judge Lianne Dumas made the right call keeping this suspect locked up pending further proceedings. A preliminary hearing is set for May 6th, where the defense can request pretrial release again — though it's hard to imagine what new argument would change the calculus.

For years, San Franciscans have watched a revolving door of suspects cycle through a system that seemed more concerned with the rights of the accused than the safety of the public. Judges releasing dangerous individuals on their own recognizance became so routine it barely made the news. So when a judge actually looks at the facts — a dead pedestrian, a fleeing driver, an implausible story — and says "no, you stay in jail," it deserves recognition.

This is the bare minimum of what public safety looks like. The victim's family deserves justice, and the rest of us deserve to walk on a sidewalk without wondering if today's the day someone decides a car is a weapon. The preliminary hearing will be the next test. We'll be watching.