San Francisco DA Holds Off On Charging Suspect In Alleged Truffle Store Attack
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- The San Francisco District Attorney's office on Thursday announced it would not immediately press charges against the man recently accused of attacking the owner of a North Beach truffle shop.
"A charging decision has been put on hold and the case remains under investigation," said Alex Bastian, a spokesman for District Attorney George Gascon.
Jean Marc Gorce, the owner of XOX Truffles, posted about the attack on Facebook on Monday. He said that the suspect, later identified as 51-year old Paul Anghilante, had tried to strangle him after a verbal confrontation inside the truffle shop on Columbus Avene. He credited his son for chasing the assailant off with a baseball bat.
Bastian explained that issues with the limited evidence available impacted the decision.
"Our burden of proof requires us to negate self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt. The video from inside the store does not capture what happened after the shop owner ran out the door in the direction of the suspect," Bastian said. "If anyone has any information or video footage of what occurred outside the shop, please contact SFPD immediately."
The DA spokesman also said police were not able to interview witnesses because it took so long for officers to arrive at the scene after the attack.
Jean Marc Gorce did not immediately call police because he said he has dealt with street people before and there's only so much police were able to do.
But this time, two hours later, he said the suspect came back and took a nap right on the sidewalk outside. The shop owner then called 911 and police arrested Anghilante.
Anghilante was arrested on three felony charges: assault with a deadly weapon, felonious threats and false imprisonment.
The suspect is expected to be released from jail, according to Bastian. However, the case is still under investigation and charges could be filed at a later date.
