SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Surveillance footage shows a homeless man holding a police officer in a "death grip" on Friday, May 28, in San Francisco. One can see the cop struggle as the attacker, later identified as Geraldo Contreras, makes use of full force to harm her. It was only after the interference of passersby that the cop was able to escape what could have been a fatal grip. 

Many came to the cop's rescue after Contreras attacked her as she responded to his anti-Asian threats. In the surveillance footage, one can see a number of bystanders rushing to the aid of the unidentified Asian officer's side.

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Who is Geraldo Contreras? 

On Friday, May 28, in San Francisco, the unidentified cop was responding to a man making racially motivated threats in Chinatown. What she didn't know at the time is that she would be attacked by the man herself. In the video, one can notice that the cop appears to be about half the size of her assailant. Geraldo Contreras wrestled the cop to the ground and put her in a hefty headlock. Apparently, 33-year-old Contreras has a history of spewing hate against Asians. 

According to police reports, Contreras was making a number of anti-Asian threats in the neighborhood the day before. One of them included saying he "specializes in killing Asian people." According to documents obtained by local reports, Contreras has a record of prior arrests, which includes aggravated assault, elder abuse and assaults on officers in other parts of California. At the moment, it is unclear if he was ever convicted.

What happened that day?

The officer was responding to reports of a man making anti-Asian threats in San Francisco's Chinatown. When she found Contreras, she ordered him to put his hands on his head, and turn around.

He obliged the first time around. but when the officer asked if he had any weapons in his possession, he turned around, shoved her and wrestled with her before pushing her to the ground. Reports say that she was carrying a bean bag gun across her back, but was clearly unable to reach for it. A bystander rushed to her side yelling "Get off of her, get off of her!"

Soon, many others came to help. One of them was Michael Waldorf, who had just finished having dinner with his family. "He's a big guy, he was not letting go. He had a death grip on her. And he was not letting go," he reportedly said, adding, "I saw it as an emergency. She needed our help and she needed it right away," he added.

 

The officer suffered a bloody nose and minor injuries. As per reports, police have not yet declared if the attack will be investigated as a hate crime.

The San Francisco Police Officers Association thanked the bystanders who came to the officer's side. "We’ve seen a rise in violent attacks by homeless individuals, including attacks on police officers," they tweeted alongside the CCTV footage. "We are deeply grateful to these citizens who rushed to our officer’s aide. Our staffing shortage left this officer working alone instead of with a partner."

Waldorf, who discovered about Contreras' violent past later on, was then reported saying, "He should not be let out."

"Some people are not safe for society and he clearly is not. I know this is just a snapshot of a person's life, but you have to look at someone's record and make a judgment."