Bikes & Police

Student Beaten Unconscious by SFPD For Riding Bike on Sidewalk Settles Federal Lawsuit Against City

D’Paris Williams, the student who in 2013 was beaten unconscious outside of Valencia Gardens by plainclothes SFPD officers for the crime of riding his bike on the sidewalk, has settled his federal lawsuit against the city for $20,000.

Williams was originally charged with crimes that could have resulted in up to 12 years in prison, with his bicycle being considered a deadly weapon. The charges were soon dropped, however, after bystander cell-phone video of the incident surfaced online.

Kron4 reports on the settlement:

Oakland-based civil rights attorney John Burris, who has represented clients in numerous police misconduct cases in the Bay Area, represented Williams and filed the lawsuit late last year. A settlement agreement was reached in May and the case was dismissed on Monday.

San Francisco city attorney’s spokeswoman Andrea Guzman said today that the city was able to settle the case before either side incurred significant expenses litigating it.

After being beaten and subdued by police, Williams was found to be in possession of a cupcake.

[Screen Grab: Rasta Dave]

Comments (3)

deduct all fines and settlements from the SFPD pensions and salaries. Make ‘em pay since that’s the only thing an SFPD “cop” understands. They sure don’t care about serving the public or catching real criminals! They suck balls!

Riding a bicycle on the sidewalk? They should have settled with a $20.00 gift card to Seben-Eleben and called it even.

What the hell are you on about?