FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 10, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: Jessie Seyfer, public relations officer | (628) 271-9800 | San Francisco Public Defender’s Office | pdr-mediarelations@sfgov.org
**PRESS RELEASE**
SF Jury Acquits Man Who Acted in Self-Defense After Stranger–Unprovoked–Screamed at Him and Trespassed Into His Apartment
Stranger also returned to his apartment building and was believed to be armed
SAN FRANCISCO — On Aug. 26, a San Francisco jury acquitted 41-year-old Kenneth Young, of all charges stemming from a 2022 incident when Young acted in self-defense by punching a man who had yelled at him, stepped into his apartment, and returned to his apartment building later in the evening. Prosecutors had charged Young with several felonies including assault.
“Mr. Young was protecting himself from a man who had trespassed into his apartment and would have attacked and seriously harmed him had Mr. Young not defended himself,” said Deputy Public Defender Bao Doan, who represented Young in the case.
On Aug. 19, 2022, Young was inside his apartment on Turk Street when a man began shouting outside his door. When Young opened his door, a 6-foot-3-inch-tall man was standing there with his genitals exposed, and the man had just urinated. Young and the man, who did not know each other, exchanged words, and the man stepped into Young’s apartment. Young, frightened, punched the man once, pushed him out of the apartment and locked the door.
About 40 minutes later, Young and a friend decided to leave the building to walk their dog. On their way out, two separate people warned Young that a man who was possibly armed was standing in front of the building. Young, once outside, realized the man in front of the building was the same one who had stepped into his apartment. Fearing that the man had been waiting to retaliate and harm him, Young punched the man once to disarm him. Young then left the area of his apartment building and police arrested him several weeks later. Prosecutors charged him with several felonies, including assault, mayhem and battery.
“We are so grateful to the thoughtful jurors in this case, who weighed the evidence and testimony carefully and determined that Mr. Young was acting in legitimate self-defense,” said elected San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju. “I applaud the efforts of Mr. Young’s defense team for demonstrating this truth so effectively for the jury.”
The defense team included Deputy Public Defender Doan, Investigator Collin Olsen and Paralegal Margaret So.
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