Woman Who Called 911 On Dacari Spiers Takes Stand In SFPD Beating Trial

San Francisco CA

17 February, 2022

6:26 PM

Description

By Eleni Balakrishnan, Mission Local February 16, 2022 Despite some uncertainties regarding the events leading up to her 911 call in October 2019, witness Mercedes Emerson testified today in court that she was glad she called the police that evening – and if the same situation presented itself, she would do it again. Emerson was the first defense witness to take the stand in the trial of San Francisco Police Officer Terrance Stangel, who faces charges for unlawfully beating Dacari Spiers on Oct. 6, 2019 near Fisherman's Wharf. Stangel has been accused by the District Attorney of escalating his interaction with Spiers to a violent baton beating without warning or cause, in what is believed to be San Francisco's first criminal trial of an on-duty police officer for excessive use of force. To read the full article, click here. Mission Local covers San Francisco from the vantage point of the Mission, a neighborhood with all of the promise and problems of a major city. You can support Mission Local here.