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Eyewitnesses on April 5 captured a street confrontation between former San Francisco Fire Commissioner Don Carmignani and a homeless man later identified as Garret Doty.
In videos circulating on social networks, Doty is seen chasing Carmignani with a metal bar and hitting him several times on the head.
The case sparked outrage when the former officer appeared on talk shows discussing his injuries, including a fractured skull.
According to the former commissioner, he called the emergency numbers to report three homeless people who had set up a camp outside his house.
Having no answer, he went to them to convince them to move to a nearby park.
The version had convinced everyone until it was time for Doty to defend himself and his lawyers turned the story around.
According to Doty's defense and the videos they present, a man (allegedly Carmignani) approached Doty and sprayed him with tear gas.
The assault would have caused the homeless man to respond by looking for a metal bar in the trash and going out in search of his attacker.
The case was further complicated when Doty's defense accused Carmignani of being responsible for eight other attacks on homeless people, all of them carried out in the vicinity of his home.
According to police reports, a man who matches the physical description of the former fire commissioner assaulted several homeless people, stole their belongings, sprayed them with tear gas and even threw a homeless woman's dog.
For now, Carmignani has denied being the person responsible for the attacks.
The trial has been complicated because the former commissioner refuses to testify, which has left Garrett Doty free.
According to Doty's defense, the former officer's refusal to appear in court could be because she does not want to prompt an investigation into the other attacks.
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