SF Judge Sentences Antoine Watson to Probation in Fatal Shove of Elderly Man

The corner of Anza Vista where 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee fell after being shoved to the pavement in January 2021 became the emotional center of a San Francisco courtroom Thursday, as the judge who presided over the case sent his killer home on probation.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Linda Colfax sentenced Antoine Watson to a total of eight years for the unprovoked attack and death of Ratanapakdee. Because Watson, now 25, had already served five years in jail and earned additional credit for good behavior, Colfax suspended the remaining two years of his sentence and ordered him released on probation.

Surveillance footage captured Watson charging violently across the street and slamming into the 84-year-old in San Francisco's Anza Vista neighborhood. Ratanapakdee died two days later of a brain hemorrhage. The video circulated widely and became a defining image of the wave of anti-Asian violence that swept the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. It fueled a national Stop Asian Hate movement.

Watson served about five years in jail, mostly in isolation, according to his attorney. Judge Colfax said he must adhere to probation conditions that include living with his mother in Hayward. He must also attend therapy at least once a week, attend case management hearings, and seek employment. The probation also includes weekly therapy sessions and searches of him and his property. He has been ordered to check in with Colfax next month. If he violates any terms of probation, the district attorney's office can argue to revoke it and ask the judge to send him to prison for the remainder of his sentence.

In January, a jury found Watson guilty of involuntary manslaughter and assault for the violent attack. He was acquitted of murder and elder abuse. Legal expert Shannan Dugan offered context on why the sentence fell where it did: "For involuntary manslaughter, the sentence is two years, three years, four years in the state prison. And my understanding is that the defendant had already served five years. So on that count, the judge had effectively sentenced him on the max and added another year on enhancement and then five years of probation."

In delivering her ruling, Colfax noted that Watson suffers from PTSD and had experienced abuse, neglect, and violence in his childhood. She noted that jurors had said he was not a high risk to public safety, and that probation would allow Watson access to the treatment he needs to manage his PTSD and childhood trauma.

Deputy Public Defender Anita Nabha said her client is remorseful. "This is not just about getting a second chance of life," Nabha said. "Whenever someone is convicted of a crime of someone's life, they need to fully dedicate themselves to making amends in whatever way they can. Antoine is never expecting forgiveness, but he wants to hold himself to a higher standard."

The Ratanapakdee family was not satisfied. His daughter, Monthanus Ratanapakdee, spoke outside the courtroom: "Yeah, it's a long time for me, and we are very disappointed to be waiting for the trial, and I didn't get justice for my father, or justice for me or my family." Son-in-law Eric Lawson was more direct: "The bottom line is that he's out in, like, five years on probation for killing our father-in-law, and it's unacceptable."

The family was especially critical of Colfax, saying she unfairly kept some details of Watson's prior juvenile record from the jury but considered his successful completion of juvenile probation in her sentencing decision. Lawson went further: "The judge already had in mind what she was going to do, in my opinion. And they just carried it out. Her and the defense worked very well together."

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who met with the family after the hearing, made clear she shared their frustration. "Right now, first and foremost, want to speak to this family and the community who I know have been gut-wrenched by Grandpa Vicha's death and have felt that this process, one, took too long and to get to this date today and to understand that Mr. Watson is going to be released is hard to digest," Jenkins said.

Former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin had not charged Watson with a hate crime, saying he did not believe the attack was racially motivated. Watson told the court he did not know his victim's race. The family has long maintained the attack was targeted.

Monthanus Ratanapakdee has channeled her grief into a run for San Francisco supervisor, campaigning on a platform of public safety, clean streets, and advocacy for families and small businesses. The trial itself was delayed for years due to motions, disputes over evidence, and calendar conflicts. Watson, who told the court he thinks about the life he took every day, will now serve out the remainder of his case from his mother's home across the bay, checking in with Judge Colfax next month as his first condition of freedom.