A freaky attack caught on tape is sparking controversy in San Francisco. The judge’s decision to release the defendant ahead of a scheduled hearing on Friday elicited attention from the likes of city Mayor London Breed and California Governor Gavin Newsom, according to KRON.
“Unfortunately, I think this is a real problem, and I think the judge made a real mistake,” said Breed. “This person is a danger to society at this time.”
She’s talking about homeless man Austin James Vincent, 25. Police say he’s the individual seen on footage attacking a woman in front of her condo building early Sunday morning. That person is seen grappling with the female victim, pulling her away from the front door of the building. The guard working on the security desk, gets on a cell phone while attempting to help the woman escape.
Paneez Kosarian was identified as the woman who was attacked. She criticized the decision to release Vincent, and told KTVU that she was going to move from the city.
Kosarian told KRON that the man insisted to he was the last human on earth, and all the people she was seeing were robots. The attacker asked her to open the door, so he could kill the front desk woman, and earn Kosarian’s trust, said Kosarian. He later asked for her belongings, including her wallet, car keys, phone, she said.
The defendant pleaded not guilty. The public defender told the outlet that Vincent had no prior violent offenses, or even warrants.
“By all accounts this appears to have been a young man in a mental health crisis,” they said, adding, “The Judge made the sound decision to release Mr. Vincent under the restrictive conditions of Assertive Case Management in order to provide him the services he needs.”
[Mugshot via San Francisco Police Department]