By: Sarah Naser
SAN FRANCISCO — During an arraignment hearing on Wednesday, July 2, in San Francisco Superior Court for a first-degree robbery charge, Deputy District Attorney Reve Bautista claimed the accused pulled a gold chain with a pendant from the victim’s neck.
Deputy Public Defender Maggie Gaan argued the person charged, a Black street performer, was falsely accused, noting the victim could not specifically identify who committed the act. She asked Judge Gerardo Sandoval for release.
Bautista stated the accused had been street performing that day when he allegedly pulled the chain and struck the victim from behind with a glass bottle.
Although the victim could not identify the person, the San Francisco Police Department cited surveillance footage and investigative findings as evidence. Bautista noted the individual exited a clothing store wearing a different top than earlier.
Gaan responded that the victim described the suspect as 5 feet 9 inches tall, while the person in custody is 6 feet 4 inches. She added that, as a street performer, he is often shirtless, and may have been mistaken for other Black men seen in the footage.
Gaan argued he had been “accused of something he did not do.”
Bautista and Judge Sandoval reviewed the person’s criminal history, which includes second-degree robbery, second-degree commercial burglary, a local felony municipal court warrant, and a probation violation.
Judge Sandoval issued a 150-yard stay-away order from the victim and denied release, citing a threat to public safety.
The case now moves to a preliminary hearing.
