Garret Doty, the 25-year-old homeless man who was acquitted in December in a high-profile assault case involving a former SF fire commissioner, has landed in jail again for allegedly assaulting someone with a guitar.

Doty was acquitted last month in the April 2023 assault of Donald Carmignani — a case that, when it was first publicized, was held up as an example of San Francisco's out-of-control crime problem and out-of-control homeless crisis. The jury in the case acquitted Doty essentially on self-defense grounds — he had struck Carmignani with a metal pipe and chased him, but only after Carmignani had sprayed Doty with bear mace. It was further alleged that Carmignani had made a habit of spraying bear mace into the tents of homeless people in the Marina neighborhood.

Now, as the Chronicle reports, Doty is in jail again, this time on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. In this case, Doty was arrested, again in the Marina area, after allegedly assaulting a man with a guitar. He was booked into SF County Jail at 2:22 a.m. Monday, according to jail records.

On Sunday night, police tell the Chronicle that they had already had an interaction with Doty after an incident on Lombard Street in which two people were apparently threatening each other with screwdrivers. In that incident, neither party wanted to press charges, and no arrest was made.

When the second incident occurred, the description given by the victim led them to arrest Doty.

No formal charges have yet been filed, as of this writing.

In the Carmignani case, Doty was accused of brutalizing Carmignani with a metal pipe and causing him to suffer a fractured skull, broken jaw, and to need 51 stitches.

A witness in the trial testified that they had heard Carmignani threaten to kill Doty if he did not stop camping outside of Carmignani's mother's house, near the intersection of Magnolia and Laguna streets.

We'll update this story if formal charges are filed against Doty.

Previously: Homeless Man Accused of Attacking Ex-SF Fire Commissioner Acquitted of All Charges

Photo via Colla & Ray LLP