In a recent development in San Francisco, a homeless man, Garret Allen Doty, who has made headlines this year, is back in county jail. The 24-year-old was re-booked into jail on August 3 for violating the terms of a court’s stay-away order, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Doty had previously been released from custody in April when a key witness, former San Francisco fire commissioner Don Carmignani, failed to appear at Doty’s preliminary hearing. Doty was accused of assaulting Carmignani with a metal pipe in the Marina neighborhood on April 5.
Carmignani claimed that the incident occurred after he asked Doty and other homeless individuals to move away from his mother’s home’s entrance. The assault was recorded on surveillance footage, and Carmignani was hospitalized with a skull fracture.
Further investigation by the Public Defender’s Office revealed additional videos that allegedly showed Carmignani attacking Doty with bear spray before the pipe assault. Their defense claims Carmignani instigated the altercation and may have been involved in other unsolved assaults and a robbery against unhoused individuals in the area.
However, days after the incident, Doty was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with serious bodily injury, and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. Court proceedings were suspended, and Doty was released from jail on April 26.
Doty’s re-arrest highlights the complexities of such cases, the importance of adhering to court orders, and the ongoing challenges surrounding homelessness and violence in the city. His court appearance is scheduled for August 22.