SFPD Officer Charged In Baton Beating

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A San Francisco Police Department officer has been charged with several felonies for allegedly beating a man with his baton in the city's Fisherman's Wharf more than a year ago, District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced Monday.

Prosecutors have charged Officer Terrance Stangel with battery, assault with a deadly weapon, assault likely to cause great bodily injury, and assault under color of authority.

The charges stem from an Oct. 7, 2019, encounter with Dacari Spiers, who suffered cuts and a broken wrist and leg at the hands of Stangel, prosecutors said.

"Officers responding to a call have a duty to promote public safety — not turn to violence as a show of authority," Boudin said in statement. "This case is an example of an officer unnecessarily escalating a situation and then violently beating a Black man whom he had no legal basis to even arrest. Officers who not only fail to promote safety but actively harm others must— and in my administration — will be held accountable."

According to prosecutors, Stangel and another officer responded that day to a report of a man assaulting a woman. At the scene, witnesses pointed out Spiers and his girlfriend to the officers, but officers didn't observe any physical violence or unlawful contact between the pair.

Stangel's attorney Nicole Pifari said the officers were acting lawfully as they were attempting to protect the public from a potentially dangerous situation that allegedly also involved a report of someone being strangled.

Pifari also dismissed allegations of racial bias by the woman who initially made the police call.

"The evidence shows she is a Black woman," Pifari said of the caller.

"Everyone in San Francisco should be concerned the DA can't get his facts straight and is attempting to frame an innocent officer who was doing what society asks of him — protect the public," she said. "We will provide accurate information to the public and the courts that will clear Officer Stangel of these false and malicious accusations from the DA."

Although Spiers and his girlfriend insisted they hadn't done anything wrong, at one point, Stangel allegedly struck Spiers from behind with his baton. As the other officer forced Spiers to the ground, Stangel continued to strike his legs multiple times, prosecutors said.

As a result of his injuries, Spiers required surgery and stitches and was wheelchair-bound during his recovery, prosecutors said.

The entire ordeal was captured on body-worn camera footage. Spiers was never arrested or charged with any offense.

The latest case marks the third on-duty SFPD officer facing charges over allegations of misconduct.

Late last month, Boudin's office filed manslaughter charges against former police Officer Christopher Samayoa, who fatally shot unarmed Keita O'Neil, 42, in the city's Bayview District in 2017. Then last week, a grand jury indicted Officer Christopher Flores in connection with a 2019 Mission District officer-involved shooting that left a man in critical condition.

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