A man without a permanent residence, accused of forcefully confronting a San Francisco police officer responsible for Mayor Daniel Lurie’s security, finds himself back in custody. This development follows a judge’s recent decision to release him, controversially suggesting the officer might have been the actual aggressor.
Tony Phillips, aged 44, was rearrested on Monday morning for allegedly breaching a court-mandated restriction order. Police officers, while performing outreach services for the homeless, identified Phillips and peacefully detained him.
This subsequent arrest occurs fewer than seven days after San Francisco Superior Court Judge Sylvia Husing authorized Phillips’ release from incarceration on March 11. The release followed a widely publicized incident that took place earlier in the month.
The altercation on March 5 reportedly began when Mayor Lurie and his security team came across a group obstructing a street in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, as detailed in court documents referred to by the prosecution.
An image from 2019 shows Tony Phillips after being arrested in San Francisco for a fatal stabbing on Fern Alley near Van Ness Avenue. However, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office later opted not to file charges due to a lack of adequate evidence. (San Francisco Police Department)
Officials report that Phillips became confrontational and advanced toward the mayor, prompting an officer to intervene. Prosecutors claim Phillips approached the officer closely, exclaiming, “Bruce Lee I’ll kick your a–,” which led the officer to push him back, seeking to maintain a safe distance.
Phillips then allegedly rushed the officer, wrapped his arms around him and lifted him off the ground before slamming him onto the pavement, leaving the officer with a concussion and a head laceration.
Prosecutors have charged Phillips with felony resisting an executive officer and assault on a peace officer, along with an allegation that he caused serious bodily injury. They have also argued he should be held without bail, citing what they describe as a public safety risk.
A second suspect, 33-year-old Abraham Simon, is also facing charges related to resisting or obstructing an officer, according to prosecutors.
Despite those allegations, Husing said in court that Phillips was the one who had been “violently assaulted” and ordered his release, according to the New York Post. At the request of prosecutors, however, the judge imposed a stay-away order barring Phillips from returning to the area.
Phillips’ attorney, Ivan Rodriguez, has sharply disputed the prosecution’s version of events, telling KTVU that his client was not the aggressor and that video evidence shows the officer initiated physical contact.
“The judge said it herself: Mr. Phillips was attacked,” Rodriguez said, calling the ruling “the first step to justice” and urging prosecutors to reconsider pursuing the case, according to KTVU.
Rodriguez also suggested the encounter stemmed from what he described as a politically motivated interaction, alleging the mayor “lured” the situation by stopping and engaging with people on the street, KTVU reported.
Lurie, for his part, has said he stopped out of concern.
“I went to see what was going on and ask if they needed help, but also asked them to get off [the street] because I was worried about their safety, and I was worried about the safety of the people around them,” the mayor told KTVU.
Prosecutors have pushed back, arguing Phillips should be detained because he has repeatedly failed to appear in court unless brought in by law enforcement.
Phillips’ second arrest comes as Lurie has continued to emphasize his hands-on approach to the city’s street conditions, even in the wake of the incident involving his security detail.
The Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco and Mayor Daniel Lurie, who called the city “broken” hours before a violent altercation injured a member of his security detail. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images/Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
In a recent video posted online, the mayor said he is “walking the streets of San Francisco every day” because “you can’t solve what you can’t see,” adding that he remains “laser focused on public safety” and addressing homelessness and the city’s behavioral health crisis.
Separately, Lurie announced last week that San Francisco secured nearly $100 million in state funding to expand mental health and addiction treatment services. The funding will support additional locked psychiatric beds, new treatment capacity and a planned sobering center — efforts the mayor said are aimed at getting people “off the streets, into treatment, and into recovery.”
Phillips faces additional pending cases, including allegations related to squatting, loitering and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He is scheduled to appear in court later this week on misdemeanor charges, with a separate court date tied to the altercation set for April.
Police vehicles line a Tenderloin street near Cedar and Polk after a violent altercation involving Mayor Daniel Lurie’s security detail. Two suspects were arrested and officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries. (KTVU)
Phillips has also previously been arrested in connection with a fatal stabbing in San Francisco. In 2019, he was taken into custody on suspicion of homicide, but prosecutors declined to file charges, citing insufficient evidence, according to the San Francisco Examiner.
The San Francisco Police Officers Association declined to comment directly on the case or the judge’s remarks, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.
However, the union said its members remain focused on safety.
“The SFPOA members are pleased and proud to protect Mayor Lurie, all elected officials, and the residents of our city,” said union president Louis Wong.
“The SFPOA is always concerned about the safety of our officers and the impact of incidents like this one. When an officer is injured in the line of duty, it underscores the very real risks our members face every day to protect this city — as well as our mayor,” Wong added. “Our focus is always ensuring that officers are supported, protected, and able to do their jobs safely.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the mayor’s office, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and Phillips’ attorney for comment.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
