SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A San Francisco man who spent nearly three years in custody after allegedly defending himself against improper police use of force has been acquitted of all felony charges, according to a press release issued this week by the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office.
Bryan Soper was arrested in July 2022 after a neighbor reported that he had been banging on their door. According to the Public Defender, within ten seconds of the officers’ arrival, police began firing projectiles at Soper using what they described as a “modified grenade launcher,” referred to in the release as an Extended Range Impact Weapon (ERIW).
In response, Soper threw a small glass jar at the officers but missed. Police then shot him four more times with the ERIW until another officer—who had received more extensive training in de-escalation—arrived on the scene. According to the Public Defender, Soper immediately cooperated once the new officer began using de-escalation techniques…