FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 3, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org
**PRESS RELEASE**
S.F. Man Shot by Police with Projectiles from a ‘Modified Grenade Launcher’ Acquitted of Felony Charges
SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco jury has acquitted Bryan Soper, 50, of felony charges that stemmed from SFPD officers’ rush to use force on him.
On July 23, 2022, SFPD responded to a call claiming that Soper had been banging on a neighbor’s door. Within 10 seconds of police encountering Soper, they shot him with projectiles from what they described as a “modified grenade launcher,” otherwise called an extended range impact weapon (ERIW). In an attempt to defend himself, Soper threw a small glass jar at officers after he was shot. The jar did not hit any officers. Police shot Soper four more times before an officer arrived who had received extensive training in de-escalation techniques. Soper immediately cooperated with the officer’s de-escalation techniques and was hospitalized for the injuries he suffered from the ERIW. Prosecutors then charged him with false imprisonment and assault on an officer with a deadly weapon. A jury acquitted him of all felony charges on May 1.
“The only person who was injured here was Mr. Soper. This situation illustrates the danger of having overly armed and under-trained police officers who are willing to injure or kill a person in an instant, instead of first responders with the skills and mindset to de-escalate,” said Deputy Public Defender Sierra Villaran. “At trial, an SFPD sergeant testified that he would have been willing to use his firearm to shoot Mr. Soper, which jurors said was concerning to hear.”
Villaran argued at trial that police had used excessive force and that Soper had not imprisoned or prevented anyone from leaving their apartment. Soper only threw a glass jar in the officers’ direction in self-defense after being shot with the ERIW.
The jury acquitted Soper of felony false imprisonment and of assault on a police officer and found him guilty of misdemeanor charges of vandalism—for damaging a doorknob—and for resisting arrest. Soper was sentenced on May 8 to probation.
“Cases like Mr. Soper’s illustrate that when police inflame situations that call for de-escalation, and when prosecutors overcharge cases as felonies, it needlessly consumes huge amounts of public resources,” said San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju.
The Public Defender’s Office is currently facing extremely high caseloads, forcing it to cut back on the number of new cases attorneys can take on.
“I am proud of our public defenders and thankful to the jurors who carefully weighed the evidence in this case,” Raju added. “Public defenders continue to be on the front lines protecting our Constitutional rights, which is all the more relevant now given the attacks on due process that we are seeing at the highest levels of government.”
The defense team was led by Deputy Public Defender Sierra Villaran, Investigator Jesse Huber, and Paralegal Sercan Ersoy.
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