Deputy Public Defender Nuha Abusamra showed a judge SFPD body-worn camera footage, which revealed that SFPD officers had put hands on Leal before he even had a chance to respond to a verbal command.
On Oct. 29, a San Francisco judge dismissed charges against Luis Leal, 29, who was arrested on June 8 in front of the immigration courthouse at 100 Montgomery Street while he was peacefully protesting the violent ICE raids in Los Angeles. San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) officers shoved Leal with a baton while yelling at him to move out of the way. Leal’s hands instinctively went up to the baton in self-defense. Deputy Public Defender Nuha Abusamra showed a judge SFPD body-worn camera footage, which revealed that SFPD officers had put hands on Leal before he even had a chance to respond to a verbal command.
“This all happened so quickly that Mr. Leal put his hands up to protect himself from getting hit with the baton. He was not blocking the police when they told him to move, and he was the only person who was injured in this interaction with police,” said Abusamra, who noted that Leal spent three nights in jail before being released at arraignment.
The District Attorney’s Office originally charged Leal with a felony for allegedly removing an officer’s weapon—in this case a baton—while allegedly resisting arrest, plus a misdemeanor for allegedly failing to obey a verbal command. At a preliminary hearing, a judge granted the defense’s motion to reduce the felony charge to a misdemeanor. Still, the DA’s Office pursued the case. On Oct. 15, a trial judge reviewed the footage and on Oct. 29, dismissed the case entirely.
“Mr. Leal is a proud Mexican-American who was peacefully protesting in solidarity with the people of Los Angeles and around the Bay Area after the first surge of violent and unlawful ICE raids in our communities,” said Abusamra. “Mr. Leal has a Constitutional right to protest against injustice in this country. Sadly, the SFPD and District Attorney’s Office treated the exercise of his First Amendment rights like a crime instead of a lawful act of courage. The judges who reviewed this case were fair and reached a just outcome.”
“I commend Ms. Abusamra for her pursuit of justice for Mr. Leal, who never should have been physically attacked by SFPD officers or unfairly charged with a crime by the District Attorney’s Office,” said San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju. “This case illustrates the importance of having excellent public defenders to help prevent wrongful convictions and unfair pleas that can carry lifelong consequences.”
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office is also prosecuting the “Golden Gate 26” who were protesting the U.S. funding of Israel’s bombing of Gaza on the Golden Gate Bridge on Tax Day 2025. The D.A. previously prosecuted individuals who were protesting the attacks on Gaza on the Bay Bridge during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC) in December 2023. The Public Defender’s Office is currently defending two of the GG26 protesters and previously represented one of the Bay Bridge protesters.
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