A well-known Haight-Ashbury bar owner was booked into San Francisco County Jail early Saturday on suspicion of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly attacking a nearby shop employee with a baseball bat during a fight over a parking spot. Cyril Hackett, the 63-year-old owner of Kezar Pub and Mad Dog in the Fog, was taken into custody at 1:17 a.m. Saturday, according to the San Francisco Sheriff's Office.
The alleged confrontation unfolded outside Further, a clothing store at 1580 Haight St., according to The San Francisco Standard. A Further employee was reportedly waiting for a parking spot to pull a van in front of the shop when Hackett, driving a white BMW hatchback, reversed into the van. A bystander who witnessed the collision reportedly told Hackett, “You hit my friend, you jackass,” and threatened to beat him if they were somewhere else, before the employee's friend claimed the spot.
Bat Allegedly Brought Inside the Shop
Hackett then allegedly walked into Further carrying a baseball bat and struck something inside the store, the outlet reported. According to a person familiar with the situation cited in the same report, Hackett hit the Further employee in the leg with the bat. The employee called 911, and an onlooker reportedly blocked Hackett's car to prevent him from leaving until officers arrived.
The San Francisco Police Department declined to share further details about the incident over the weekend, saying it only comments on breaking news after hours, including weekends, per the same account. Hackett could not be reached for comment, the report noted. Because detailed incident reports have not been released, questions remain about exactly what was allegedly taken during the confrontation and the extent of any injuries.
What the Charges Could Mean
Assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm is a wobbler offense under California Penal Code § 245(a)(1), meaning it can be charged as either a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in county jail or a felony carrying two, three, or four years in state prison and fines up to $10,000, according to Power Trial Lawyers. Second-degree robbery, defined under Penal Code §§ 211 and 212.5 as the felonious taking of property from another's immediate presence using force or fear, carries a potential state prison term of two, three, or five years, as explained by Claire Highland Law.
A Fixture of Haight-Ashbury and Kezar Stadium
Hackett emigrated from Ireland in the 1980s and has owned Kezar Pub for about two decades, building the bar across from Kezar Stadium into a gathering spot for 49ers, Eagles, international soccer, and rugby fans. He took over the pub in 1995 and turned it into what KQED describes as the official meeting spot for San Francisco fan clubs supporting Liverpool FC and Aston Villa. He also co-owns Emerald Forest Christmas Trees and The Great Pumpkin Patch on Sloat Boulevard, seasonal lots he has run for more than 33 years, selling roughly 5,000 fir trees a year sourced from Oregon and Mount Shasta, according to IrishStar.com. The Great Pumpkin Patch is one of his seasonal businesses.
Hackett's pubs have weathered plenty of upheaval over the decades. A March 2020 report said Mad Dog in the Fog would shutter its original Lower Haight location after more than three decades. The pub later reopened in the Upper Haight at Clayton Street in August 2022.
Recent Public Spotlight
Just weeks before the arrest, Hackett shared a stage with Mayor Daniel Lurie during a free concert by the band Train outside Mad Dog in the Fog, an event that filled Haight Street with thousands of people. Train had originally started at the pub 32 years earlier, and Hoodline reported on the block-party homecoming show that shut down the street. Lurie's office had also mentioned Hackett in a May 2025 announcement about Golden City FC, an MLS Next Pro expansion team that reached a 15-year deal to play home matches at Kezar Stadium starting in 2026 or 2027.
Further, the store outside which the alleged attack took place, opened in Haight-Ashbury in February 2026 and is named after Furthur, the bus driven across the country by Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters in the 1960s. Its owner, known as Z, described the shop as a neighborhood gathering spot. “I try to treat everyone with love and respect,” Z said.
