Man Acquitted of Murder in 2021 Fatal Shoving of San Francisco Grandfather

A San Francisco jury found Antoine Watson not guilty of murder and elder abuse on Thursday in the 2021 shoving that led to the death of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee, but convicted him of lesser charges including involuntary manslaughter and assault with force likely to cause injury.

The attack, caught on security camera footage, shows Mr. Watson, who was 19 at the time, charging into Mr. Ratanapakdee while the latter was on his regular morning walk in the Anza Vista neighborhood. Mr. Ratanapakdee, a retired auditor from Thailand who was widely known as "Grandpa Vicha," died of a brain hemorrhage in a hospital two days later and the video went viral among Asian Americans concerned about pandemic-era attacks.

During the trial prosecutors said Mr. Watson intentionally attacked Mr. Ratanapakdee to inflict maximum harm, while the defense argued he acted impulsively after a troubled night and did not intend to kill him. Mr. Watson did not deny shoving the elder man; he testified that he felt judged and said he could not tell Mr.

Ratanapakdee's race or age. He did not call 911. Prosecutors did not bring hate crime charges, and Mr. Ratanapakdee's family described the killing as racially motivated. As Russell Jeung, a co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, said, "It was such a stark, violent killing" that became a focal point for concerns about attacks on Asian elders.

Key Topics

Culture, Antoine Watson, Vicha Ratanapakdee, San Francisco, Anza Vista, Stop Aapi Hate