Topline
Former San Francisco fire commissioner Don Carmignani is facing accusations he was behind a series of attacks on homeless people, after a lawyer for a man accused of beating him reportedly said in court Wednesday she’d uncovered evidence suggesting Carmignani might have attacked homeless people with bear spray, arguing her client may have been one of his victims.
San Francisco prosecutors are reportedly planning to drop charges against a man arrested for … [+]
Key Facts
Carmignani drew national attention earlier this month when a homeless man with a metal rod beat him outside of a home in the Marina District—a case that was widely portrayed as emblematic of San Francisco’s problems with violent crime and homelessness.
Garret Doty, 24, was later arrested on numerous assault and battery charges in connection with the beating—but his attorney, public defender Kleigh Hathaway, said Doty acted in self-defense after Carmignani attacked him with bear spray, according to multiple reports.
Hathaway said she found eight police reports going back to November 2021 involving bear spray attacks on homeless people, claiming Carmignani matched the description of the attacker.
Six of the attacks reportedly occurred within two blocks of Carmignani’s home.
San Francisco prosecutors have informed Carmignani they are planning to drop charges against Doty in light of the new allegations, according to KPIX-TV.
Authorities have not accused Carmignani of any wrongdoing, and he was not arrested for any of the alleged attacks; his attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Crucial Quote
“A third party witness told police that she heard Carmignani threaten to stab and kill Doty if he did not leave the area,” the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office said in a statement, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Key Background
Carmignani’s attack became fodder for right-wing criticism of San Francisco as a so-called lawless city overrun by homelessness and crime—which has become an increasingly common theme in a hard-right media rush to denounce the heavily Democratic city. San Francisco’s homeless population is higher than that of similarly sized cities and its murder count has risen in recent years, but the homicide rate remains relatively low in relation to comparable cities. Carmignani’s case is not the first where early assumptions were turned on their heels. Many were quick to blame the San Francisco stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee earlier this month on the city’s purported societal woes, but tech executive Nima Momeni was later arrested for the killing—he plans to plead not guilty to a murder charge. Carmignani has not provided an interview to police in his case, supposedly due to injuries suffered due to the attack, though he did appear for an interview with KPIX-TV that aired Wednesday morning. Carmignani suffered a broken jaw, a fractured skull and required 51 stitches as a result of the attack.
Further Reading
Cash App Creator Bob Lee Dead After Stabbing In San Francisco (Forbes)
Who Is Nima Momeni—Suspect Arrested In Killing Of Cash App Founder Bob Lee (Forbes)
Cash App Creator Bob Lee’s Accused Killer Pleading Not Guilty, Lawyer Says (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/04/26/ex-san-francisco-official-accused-of-attacking-homeless-people-before-he-was-assaulted/