Man charged with assault in San Francisco Castro Easter Sunday attack
Raw Video: Unprovoked Castro assault
The San Francisco District Attorneys Office announced assault charges against a man suspected of an unprovoked attack on another man in the Castro on Easter Sunday. A witness shared video of the Castro live stream that captures the incident.
SAN FRANCISCO - A man suspected of an unprovoked attack in San Francisco's Castro this past Easter Sunday has been charged with assault, the city's district attorney's office says.
What we know:
Andrew Davais, 34, was charged with one count of assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, D.A. Brooke Jenkins' announced on Tuesday. Her office is moving to have Davais detained because they say he poses a risk to public safety.
The D.A.'s office said court documents show that on Sunday, at around 6 p.m., Davais allegedly walked up to a victim, who was standing with his wife, at the corner of Castro and Market streets. The suspect wound his arm back and then punched the victim in the face without provocation. Officials said the victim fell back and hit his head. He sustained multiple injuries, but there was no word of the victim's current condition.
Photos of Castro attack suspect by Patrick McCabe.
The suspect allegedly walked away and was carrying a skateboard and trash bags.
Jenkins' office said Davais was followed by multiple witnesses until San Francisco police officers arrived to the scene and arrested the suspect.
Photos of Castro attack suspect by Patrick McCabe.
Witness account
Patrick McCabe, was one of those witnesses. He said he was sitting in the backseat of a car driving back home from Marin where he, his boyfriend and his boyfriend's parents had just had Easter lunch.
His boyfriend's dad was driving. "We were all looking in the direction of Orphan Andy's and were just talking about it being sold and saw this man being punched in the head," McCabe said.
"The guy who got punched fell on the ground and was having a seizure and bleeding heavily. It was really bad," he wrote in an email on the night of the attack. In a follow-up interview, McCabe said he heard the victim's wife scream.
Video taken by McCabe's boyfriend shows the immediate aftermath of the attack. The victim is laid out flat on the sidewalk while his wife is tending to him. The camera pans over to the alleged suspect, who is seen dressed in a red shirt, carrying the skateboard and trash bags. He can be seen casually crossing the street towards Twin Peaks bar. The car McCabe is riding in follows the suspect.
Raw video: Witness follows Castro attack suspect
A witness riding in a car followed an assault suspect in the Castro on Easter Sunday. The man suspected of the assault had just punched a man, knocking them to the ground. Police arrived shortly after and now the man is facing charges, according to the district attorneys office.
Another video, taken from the live video stream in the Castro, captures the moment of impact. Bystanders appear to be helping the couple in distress.
McCabe described what he saw as a "sucker punch." After the violent scene interrupted their discussion of the popular diner's fate, McCabe said he, his boyfriend and his boyfriends' parents, all of whom were in the car, were quick to say something about what to do next.
"We followed him. If you know my boyfriend and his dad, there is no way we weren't going to follow," McCabe said.
He said they called 911 at 5:53 p.m. and that it took police 13 minutes to arrive. He also noted that dispatch told them at least three times to stop following the suspect and that police were on their way.
"We were just driving slowly. My boyfriend's dad pulled over where he could," McCabe said. He said they all contemplated yelling out to people on the street to watch out for the suspect. Another video clip shows where they followed the suspect to Moby Dick, a Castro bar on 18th Street. The suspect is seen talking to a bouncer. "He was talking to a bouncer for a while," said McCabe. "My boyfriend said, ‘Is he about to punch the bouncer?’"
Photos of Castro attack suspect by Patrick McCabe.
McCabe admits he may have been aggressive over the phone to dispatch. "My boyfriend and his dad were really upset about what was taking [police] so long," he said.
If it happened again, he said he'd probably do the same thing. While dispatch and police advice against this, McCabe said they didn't feel like they were in danger from inside the car. Things might have turned out different if they were on foot.
McCabe said people don't always take time to call the police or to help.
He said he read on Reddit that the suspect had been acting strange for a while and that they were being aggressive to Castro CBD (Community Benefit District) workers.
What we don't know:
The D.A.'s office did not say where Davais resides.
What's next:
Davais will be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Hall of Justice.
The D.A.'s office said this is an open and active investigation.