By Lisa Leff, The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The son of San Francisco’s former police chief was arrested for assault after allegedly getting into a drunken argument with his father, who also was briefly handcuffed when he tried to persuade police officers to stay out of the family’s affairs, authorities said.
Alex Fagan Jr., the son of former San Francisco Police Chief Alex Fagan Sr., was jailed in Arizona Thursday night following the altercation at a hotel where he allegedly threatened to kill two security guards and fought their efforts to restrain him, said Scottsdale police spokesman Sam Bailey.
A November 2002 street brawl involving the younger Fagan was at the center of a short-lived scandal involving the top brass of the SFPD last year. Fagan Jr. was a rookie officer when he and two other officers were arrested for getting into an off-duty fight with two men over a bag of steak fajitas.
The incident became known as “fajitagate” after a grand jury last year indicted the elder Fagan, who was then the second-ranking officer in the SFPD, then-police chief Earl Sanders, and five other high-ranking officials with conspiracy to cover up the fight. The charges against the seven police leaders were eventually dropped.
Neither of the Fagans could be reached for comment Friday night.
Thursday’s incident in Arizona started when the hotel guards and manager confronted Fagan Jr. and his father about 8:30 p.m. after the two men carried the noisy dispute they were having in the hotel’s restaurant outdoors.
“They were out on the balcony carrying on and it started to disturb guests,” Bailey said Friday.
Witnesses told poice that when the Scottsdale Suites staff arrived on the scene, the elder Fagan “removed himself” from the situation while his son allegedly grew more agitated, according to Bailey.
“In a loud and boisterous way -- he had obviously been drinking too much -- he smashed out an exit sign and damaged an ashtray stand,” Bailey said. “And as they approached him, he started to yell at them, said he was going to kill them, leave him alone.”
The hotel staff and a nearby restaurant patron eventually subdued Fagan Jr. on the ground. Once the police arrived, the elder Fagan returned, allegedly told the officers he was a police chief, and tried to talk them into leaving.
“He says this is all a big misunderstanding, he can handle it, no need to make it a police situation,” Bailey said.
The officers refused to back off and when Fagan Sr. continued to argue he was handcuffed as well “just so they could control the situation,” Bailey said. Once the details of what had happened were worked out, Fagan Jr. was arrested and the cuffs came off his father, who was permitted to remain as a hotel guest, he said.
Fagan Jr. was charged with multiple counts of misdemeanor assault, criminal damage, disorderly conduct and making threats, Bailey said. He was released on bail Friday morning, although Bailey did not know who posted it on his behalf.
The younger Fagan was removed from the police force last year when he was unable to complete his probation period in time due to his legal troubles stemming from the 2002 brawl.
The elder Fagan was removed as police chief in January when Mayor Gavin Newsom took office, and now serves as director of the city’s department of emergency services.