San Francisco man found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in 2021 attack

Verdict and next steps

A San Francisco jury found Antoine Watson, 24, guilty of involuntary manslaughter and assault in the January 2021 death of 84-year-old Thai man Vicha Ratanapakdee, according to the Associated Press. The jury did not convict Watson of murder.

After the Thursday verdict, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ office declined to comment, saying the jury was still empaneled. The office said jurors will return on Jan. 26 to hear arguments on aggravating factors, and sentencing will be scheduled once that portion is completed.

What prosecutors said happened

The case centered on an attack captured by a neighbor’s security camera, AP reported. Prosecutors said Ratanapakdee was out for his usual morning walk in the quiet neighborhood where he lived with his wife, daughter and the daughter’s family when Watson charged at him and knocked him to the ground. Ratanapakdee never regained consciousness and died two days later.

AP reported that the encounter played out as a direct, physical confrontation rather than a verbal dispute, with the footage used as evidence.

Family’s claims vs. what was charged

Ratanapakdee’s family said the attack was motivated by race. However, AP reported that hate crime charges were not filed and that the race-based argument was not raised in trial.

The prosecution, AP said, told the court that hate crimes can be difficult to prove without statements by the suspect.

Watson’s testimony

AP reported that Watson testified and described his state of mind at the time of the unprovoked attack, citing KRON-TV. In that testimony, Watson said he was in a haze of confusion and anger when he attacked. He also testified that he did not know Ratanapakdee was Asian or older, AP reported.

Defense response

San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, whose office defended Watson, extended sympathies to the victim’s family and said the defendant is “fully remorseful for his mistake,” AP reported. Raju said in a statement: “While this death was a terrible tragedy and has garnered a lot of press attention, the importance of our legal system is that it gives us a chance to look at the facts in a balanced way,” AP reported.

Wider context: anti-Asian American violence

AP said Ratanapakdee’s 2021 killing helped spark a national movement against anti-Asian American violence. Hundreds of people in five other U.S. cities joined commemorations of the anniversary in 2022, seeking justice for Asian Americans who have been harassed, assaulted and even killed in alarming numbers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

AP reported that anti-Asian American attacks rose sharply after COVID-19 first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. It said Stop AAPI Hate received reports of more than 10,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from March 2020 through September 2021, and that attacks included shunning, racist taunting and physical assaults.

Correction noted by AP

AP said the story was updated to correct the year of the killing in the headline. It was 2021, not 2001.