A man who stabbed and slightly injured another man during an argument in San Francisco’s Chinatown was freed from jail Friday after a jury deadlocked, according the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office.
Edmond Pak, 32, of San Francisco, had been held in county jail for more than four months after he was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, public defender spokeswoman Tamara Barak Aparton said.
The jury voted 6 to 6 on whether to convict Pak on the charge and prosecutors opted to dismiss the case, Aparton said.
On May 14, Pak, who suffers from a traumatic brain injury, was on Powell Street near Clay Street when he heard another man complain and Pak mistakenly thought the comment was directed towards him, Aparton said.
Pak then began to argue with the other man, according to Aparton.
The man at one point shoved Pak and tried to throw him to the ground when Pak produced a kitchen knife, stabbed the man in the arm and dropped the knife, Aparton said.
The puncture wound to the victim was described by responding paramedics as “smaller than a dime and not bleeding,” according to the public defender’s office.
The victim then gave chase to Pak at short distance before police arrived, Aparton said.
Two witnesses reported seeing the stabbing victim pushing Pak before the stabbing, Aparton said.
The public defender’s officer argued that Pak was acting in self-defense, according to Aparton.
Jeff Burbank, Bay City News
