San Francisco police sought arrest of Baltimore officers in sex assault probe

San Francisco police concluded they had probable cause to seek arrest warrants for four Baltimore officers accused in a September 2024 sexual assault investigation, but city prosecutors later declined to file charges, leaving the case in the narrow space between arrest power and a filing that would hold up in court.

The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said it would not charge Maj. Jai Etwaroo, Juan Rivas, Angel Villaronga and Jahmoor Acosta after reviewing the evidence gathered by police. In a statement carried by WMAR-2 News, prosecutors said, “Although the San Francisco Police had probable cause to submit an arrest warrant for review in this case, after careful review of all of the evidence gathered, we do not believe we can meet our higher burden of proof.” That split decision matters in San Francisco because it shows how a case can clear one legal threshold and still fall short of the one needed to bring criminal charges.

The alleged assault was reported by a 39-year-old woman, and reporting says the officers were among a larger group of 8 to 10 male friends visiting San Francisco on a baseball trip. The case has become more than a single accusation: it is now a test of whether visiting officers can be investigated, identified and pursued across state lines when the people accused are themselves sworn law enforcement.

Baltimore police suspended the officers’ police powers in November 2025 and placed them on administrative duty while the internal review continued. Baltimore officials said the Public Integrity Division investigation remained ongoing even after San Francisco closed the criminal case. That leaves the survivor-facing burden in two systems at once, with one city weighing criminal charges and another weighing discipline inside the department.

For San Francisco, the unanswered question is whether the process failed because of distance, rank or the difficulty of proving a case against police officers who were only passing through the city. Baltimore coverage noted that Etwaroo was the highest-ranking officer among the four, underscoring how the case reached into the command structure of the Baltimore Police Department, not just its rank and file.

The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said the case could be re-evaluated if additional evidence emerges before the statute of limitations expires. For now, the file shows a familiar local tension: San Francisco police say they reached the point of probable cause, but the case stopped where prosecutors decided the proof was not yet strong enough to carry it further.