SF Fire Chief Orders Personnel to Cooperate With Bar Assault Investigation

A bar fight at Original Joe's in North Beach has drawn the San Francisco Fire Department into a widening legal tangle, with Fire Chief Dean Crispen issuing an extraordinary department-wide bulletin on March 17 ordering personnel to fully cooperate with criminal and civil investigations stemming from an alleged October 2025 assault that followed the Italian Heritage Parade.

"The City Attorney's Office and other independent law enforcement agencies are conducting investigations into the alleged incident," Crispen wrote in the bulletin. "The Department is fully cooperating with those investigations, and I encourage all of you to do so as well."

One off-duty firefighter has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of assault in connection with the incident, which allegedly took place in the bar area of the North Beach restaurant. The alleged victim is identified in court filings as a part-time Marin County sheriff's deputy. A second firefighter, identified in reporting as Patrick Rabbitt, is also connected to the case, though the circumstances differ sharply depending on which legal document you read.

The civil complaint filed against Rabbitt names him as a participant in the attack. The police statement of probable cause accompanying the criminal charges, however, designates Rabbitt as a witness. Rabbitt told investigators he was at the bar that day to watch the 49ers game and said he did not see anyone being attacked. The charged firefighter told investigators the altercation was "a mutual thing," according to the probable cause statement. The attorney representing the charged firefighter has not responded to requests for comment.

The legal exposure extends beyond the criminal case. A claimant identified as David Gallaion filed a half-million-dollar claim with the city, signaling his intent to sue if the city does not pay. The City Attorney's Office has launched an investigation into that claim and into the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack, adding a third layer of scrutiny to an incident that has now spanned five months without resolution.

Crispen closed his bulletin by thanking department members for "what you do every day to help people and save lives. I am proud of the work you do as San Francisco's bravest." The message balanced institutional accountability with an acknowledgment of the department's broader mission, even as the investigations into the conduct of its own personnel continue.