San Francisco DA To Withdraw Charges Against One Suspect In Attack On Elderly Recycler
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said his office was withdrawing charges against one of two men arrested in an attack on an elderly Asian man and theft of the recycled cans he had gathered.
Boudin said his office would submit a "restorative justice" case against Dwayne Grayson, 20, who was arrested last week on elder abuse charges. Police said Grayson recorded the attack against the elderly man and posted it on social media, triggering an outcry.
The DA's office said the charges were withdrawn following a conversation with the victim who expressed an interest in a restorative justice outcome, in which prosecutors seek to rehabilitate offenders through reconciliation with victims.
If the restorative justice model does not work, the DA's office said it would still have the option of filing criminal charges.
On Sunday, police arrested a second suspect in the attack, 56-year-old Jonathan Amerson, who police say is the man menacing and swinging a grasping tool at the elderly man after making off with his recycling haul.
Amerson surrendered at the Bayview police station Sunday morning and was booked with two counts of robbery and two counts of elder abuse.
Police said Amerson had robbed the same victim two months before the attack that was captured on video and posted to social media.
