San Francisco's District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has charged Juan Diaz-Rivas, 36, with a hate crime-related assault following an antisemitic group beating in the Marina District last Saturday. According to a press release from the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, Diaz-Rivas is facing two counts of assault with force likely to inflict significant injury. Notably, the complaint adds to one assault count the allegation that Diaz-Rivas inflicted serious bodily harm on one of the victims, and it marked the assault as a hate crime.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Alana Gans, a Jewish woman and friend of the victim, was confronted by a group expressing antisemitic sentiments. "F— Jews, free Palestine," one man shouted, continuing to provoke for about a minute before the attack began. The assailants followed to assault Gans physically, and the victim, culminating in Gans's friend suffering a swollen lip and multiple head bumps, stated Alana Gans in an interview provided to the Chronicle. Amidst the chaos, a good Samaritan from the nearby Balboa Cafe attempted to intervene, only to be met with violence themselves, as reported by Hoodline.
Diaz-Rivas, presently in custody, is to be arraigned at the Hall of Justice, and the DA's Office is set to request his detention based on the potential risk he poses to public safety. While charges have been pressed, further details emerge as the investigation remains active, with authorities urging witnesses or those with information to reach out to the San Francisco Police Department Tip Line.
In addition to Diaz-Rivas's arrest, another male suspect was cited for battery under section 242 PC but was subsequently released, according to a Hoodline report.
