The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office Monday called on police leadership and the police commission to act on a findings report that states officers used excessive force during a wrongful arrest in 2024.
The incident took place July 4, 2024, after an officer made a mistake entering a license plate number and believed he had identified a stolen vehicle, the Public Defender’s Office said. San Francisco police officers would then proceed to smash the driver’s window, drag the driver out and pepper-spray him — actions that a San Francisco Department of Police Accountability (DPA) report states were excessive.
In the driver’s seat of the suspected stolen vehicle was Matthew Ludwig. Ludwig was charged with reckless driving and resisting arrest. The Public Defender’s Office said the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office refused to drop the case even after the mistake came to light…