San Francisco officers mistakenly entered wrong plate before violent arrest, watchdog finds
San Francisco police watchdog says excessive force used in 2024 arrest
A San Francisco police watchdog group says officers used excessive force in an incident two years ago after entering a wrong license plate number.
SAN FRANCISCO - A San Francisco police watchdog agency found that two officers used excessive force during a 2024 arrest after entering the wrong license plate number into their computer system.
The San Francisco Department of Police Accountability (DPA), which reports to the Police Commission, concluded that the officers violated several department policies during the July 4, 2024, arrest of Matthew Ludwig.
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Violent traffic stop without warning
What we know:
Body camera footage showed officers arresting Ludwig, throwing him to the ground and pepper-spraying him, according to the watchdog agency.
The agency found that officers failed to activate their emergency lights to initiate a standard traffic stop. Instead, they jumped out of their patrol car behind Ludwig while he was stopped at a red light, smashed his window and pulled him from the vehicle before throwing him to the pavement and pepper-spraying him.
The DPA said the officers’ actions stemmed from an error in entering Ludwig’s license plate number into their computer system. The mistake led officers to believe Ludwig was driving a stolen vehicle when he was not.
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Charges filed despite mistake
Dig deeper:
According to the watchdog agency, officers did not realize they had entered the wrong license plate number until after Ludwig was taken into custody.
Despite discovering the error, officers recommended that Ludwig face criminal charges. The district attorney’s office later charged him with reckless driving and resisting arrest based on the officers’ initial claims.
Prosecutors maintained the charges until September 2025, when the case was dismissed following Ludwig’s death.
Next steps and department response
What's next:
Following the DPA’s findings, the San Francisco Police Department or Police Commission could impose disciplinary measures against the officers involved.
San Francisco police said they could not comment on the agency’s findings because of pending litigation.
The Source: This story was written based on information from the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability and the San Francisco Police Department.