Pierre Dyson, the man who was at the center of a four-hour standoff with the SFPD on July 6 that became one of the first high-profile opportunities for San Francisco police to display their new training in de-escalation techniques, appeared in court Friday and was granted bail. He spoke exclusively with ABC 7, as reporter Melanie Woodrow caught him and his family at the Hall of Justice, and Dyson says he's grateful to be alive.
"I was just thankful that I'm still here and the police did their job as far as not killing me," he said to Woodrow, showing off an injured elbow in a brace, scars on his face, and a spot on one arm where a rubber bullet left a mark. Dyson also suffered broken ribs, and was said to be in critical condition shortly after the incident.
The situation allegedly began when Dyson, possibly high on something or in an "altered mental state," was approached by two bicycle cops on Jones Street near Market, outside the Hibernia Bank building. Dyson allegedly brandished a weapon and said he'd rather die than go back to jail, after having apparently recently served some time, possibly in Nevada. What ensued was a four-hour standoff, much of which Dyson spent prone on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets.
He now tells ABC 7 that he refused to take his hands out of his pockets because he was terrified police were going to kill him if he took them out.
Unlike the seemingly unhinged man who refused to comply with police commands that day, Dyson appears calm and quite sane in the video footage above.
6pm @abc7newsbayarea "just thankful that I'm still here and @SFPD did their job as far as not killing me." pic.twitter.com/hQXMjc6s4A
— Melanie Woodrow (@MelanieWoodrow) October 22, 2016
Police recovered a revolver and ammunition from Dyson after the situation was resolved that day, with Dyson wheeled away on a stretcher after being shot repeatedly with non-lethal rounds.
He's now said to be entering a treatment program for an undisclosed substance abuse issue, and he will later have to face felony charges, including one charge of possession of a firearm by a felon.
His attorney Kleigh Hathaway tells ABC 7 that "prison would be a disaster" for Dyson and hopes that a judge will be lenient. The DA's office, meanwhile, says, "We believe these charges are highly appropriate considering the nature of the crime and the nature of the situation that led to his arrest."
Previously: Police Take Allegedly Armed, Mentally Ill Man Into Custody, Ending Four-Hour Mid-Market Standoff
