An attorney representing the homeless man accused of assaulting two elderly Asian Americans in downtown San Francisco, who in turn was hit by one of them in her own defense, says his client suffered head injuries prior to the incident and "was in a diminished mental state."
San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Eric McBurney told the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday that his client, 39-year-old Steven Jenkins, was struck "multiple" times in several separate confrontations at UN Plaza before the March 17 assault happened.
McBurney released a six-minute video with footage from three different security cameras in the area showing Jenkins being struck by several people leading up to the assault on Xiao ZhenXie and Ngoc Pham. McBurney, who himself is Asian American, doesn't believe the attacks were racially motivated.
"This situation is much more complex that it may appear," he added.
He told the paper his client didn’t remember any of what took place before Xiao and Pham were attacked and hurt. In the footage, Jenkins is taken to the ground by what looks to be a police officer immediately after the attack, with Xiao hitting his legs as he'd held down and taken into custody.
"We think the video speaks for itself," McBurney said of the captured moments preceding the assaults. "He was hit over the head. He may have been concussed."
Jenkins, who McBurney said has been homeless for 10 years, is facing charges of elder abuse, battery and assault likely to cause great bodily injury. He’s pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to be in court for a preliminary hearing on Friday.
The incident has gone viral, garnering Xie worldwide fame for fighting back against her assailant during a wave of attacks on Asian Americans.
A GoFundMe for Xie has crossed $1 million in donations, all of which her family said will be donated back to the Asian American community.
