San Francisco prosecutors dismissed all charges this week against Bradford Lasalle, an unhoused man who defended himself against an inebriated security guard who challenged him to a fight in November 2024. Prior to the dismissals, the District Attorney’s Office had charged Lasalle with attempted murder and mayhem. After a preliminary hearing, the D.A.’s office added an additional aggravated charge that could have carried a life sentence, despite no new evidence. Deputy Public Defender Tal Klement, who represented Lasalle, said the D.A.’s charges were excessive and pushed back, arguing that the case be dismissed based on self-defense and the security guard’s dishonesty in reporting the incident. Prosecutors dropped all charges on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.
“Mr. Lasalle was clearly defending himself against the aggressor who was trying to cover his own tracks,” said Klement, who noted that when police arrived on the scene, the security guard mentioned that he was related to two former SFPD officers. “Police investigators never challenged the holes in the security guard’s story and basically treated him with kid gloves. Yet, when police later arrested Mr. Lasalle, they made no attempt to interview him before booking him on felony charges.”
According to preliminary hearing testimony, the security guard admitted that on the night of Nov. 28, 2024, he had been drinking while on duty at the tech company Okta on First Street. He said that he was allowed to drink the alcohol that Okta provided to employees on-site, and that he had only drunk one-quarter of a beer. However, a test from his hospital visit after the incident showed that his blood alcohol content was nearly double the legal limit for someone who would be considered too intoxicated to drive.
The security guard was also caught on body-worn camera footage telling police that he had pulled a knife on Lasalle, but he later changed his story and told investigators that the knife fell out of his pocket. Surveillance footage from the scene shows the security guard throwing the first punch and shows a struggle over the knife. Both men sustained stab wounds.
Prosecutors tried twice to get Lasalle to plead to felony charges, including an earlier offer that would have included a strike. Lasalle rejected both of the prosecution’s plea deals and the defense demanded a trial. A few days before a trial was to begin, prosecutors dismissed the case entirely. Lasalle was released from jail after spending three months in custody.
“This scenario, where prosecutors dramatically overcharge cases but dismiss charges just before trial, demonstrates how the D.A.’s office regularly charges cases based on evidence that won’t hold up to a jury’s scrutiny,” said San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, whose office continues to face excessive caseloads amid an increase in prosecutions. “It also shows how important it is to push back on such cases, and how public defenders are critical to preserving fairness in our city’s courts.”
The defense team was led by Deputy Public Defender Tal Klement, with support from the Public Defender Investigation and Paralegal Units.