Elderly Victim Beaten with Bat Sues San Francisco DA for Letting Attackers Off Without Jail
January 31, 2022 in News by RBN Staff
Source: Need To Know | NextShark and Police Tribune
An elderly Asian American man who fell victim to a brutal attack in broad daylight in San Francisco two years ago is launching a federal lawsuit against the city’s District Attorney’s Office for allegedly mishandling his case and mistreating him in the process.
Anh Lê, 69, was out for a walk in Chinatown on Nov. 2, 2019, when a father-and-son duo threatened to kill him and repeatedly struck him with a baseball bat. He managed to call 911 after running away as far as he could.
Lê said it all started after he politely asked the teenage son, who was riding a bicycle, to be careful since it was a crowded sidewalk and he nearly collided with him.
Shortly after, the teenager took out a baseball bat from his mother’s bag and hit Lê multiple times. His father, identified as Jimmy Tanner Sr., then raised a glass bottle and threatened to kill Lê.
The incident, which was witnessed by a shocked crowd, occurred in front of a Chinese grocery store at 1118 Stockton St. Lê said Tanner’s wife, who was with another teenage son, “seemed to watch with glee” as the attack unfolded.
“I pleaded with the Tanners to stop, but they relished in their ability to inflict pain and
fear on a defenseless senior citizen,” Lê said in a victim impact statement provided to NextShark. “The attack was the most brutal, terrifying, and humiliating experience of my life, and has stayed with me ever since.”
After the incident, Lê, who is Vietnamese American, learned that the Tanners had targeted other Asian Americans on the same day. The alleged attacks also took place in Chinatown.
The Tanners reportedly entered S&M Ginseng Inc. and Chinese Herbal Store at 1000 Stockton St., just a few blocks from where Lê was attacked, and threatened its store owner and customers. The teen who struck Lê with the baseball bat allegedly used the same object to hit a customer.
Lê said he also learned of a third “terroristic” attack committed by the family near Broadway and Stockton Street. The alleged incident occurred after the attack on himself.
Lê quickly reported his experience to San Francisco police, which led to the Tanners’ arrest later on the same day. The father, Tanner Sr., was taken into custody for battery, felony elder abuse and felony terroristic threats.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, however, refused to prosecute either the father or son with hate crime enhancements and agreed to a lenient plea deal with Tanner Sr., who pled guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge for no jail time and only a year of probation — all without Lê’s knowledge.
In addition to failing to notify Lê of plea deal discussions, the District Attorney’s Office allegedly also failed to provide him a chance to enter a victim impact statement during the proceedings. Consequently, no such statement was read at the plea deal hearing.
Police Tribune: https://policetribune.com/elderly-victim-beaten-with-bat-sues-san-francisco-da-for-letting-attackers-off-without-jail/