Jury acquits homeless man accused in attack near San Francisco's Union Square
SAN FRANCISCO – A homeless man involved in a scuffle near San Francisco's Union Square in 2022 has been acquitted by a jury and released from jail after spending more than 500 days behind bars.
The jury cleared Hasira Sutton of all felony charges and hung on two misdemeanor counts, which were dropped by prosecutors last week, according to the San Franciso Public Defender's Office.
"We thank the jury for evaluating the evidence and understanding that Mr. Sutton acted in self-defense in response to repeated acts of aggression by the pedestrian that night," said Deputy Public Defender Alexa Horner.
Sutton said he was repeatedly harassed and threatened by a group of people leaving a bar near Post and Taylor streets on June 14, 2022.
Later that night, one member of the group woke Sutton up from where he was sleeping on the sidewalk, threatened him again and moved towards him, at which point Sutton hit him several times, according to the Public Defender's Office.
"Early media reports on this case were biased against our client and lacked important context, which is why it's so important for our office to set the record straight in light of this acquittal," said San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju.
