San Francisco Police Officers Used Excessive Force on Man They Mistakenly Arrested, Report States
Watchdog investigators said the officers broke policy after entering the wrong plate, and body-camera video showed pepper spray used at point-blank range.
- On Monday, the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability released a report finding that officers Jonathan Zepeda and Vinesh Govindbhai violated multiple department policies during a July 4, 2024, traffic stop resulting in the wrongful arrest of 48-year-old Matthew Ludwig.
- The incident began when Zepeda and Govindbhai mistakenly entered the wrong license plate number into their computers, wrongly believing the Honda Accord was stolen; officers then pinned the vehicle and smashed the driver's window with a baton without attempting a traffic stop.
- Evidence showed officers discharged pepper spray from just inches away, violating the 4.5-foot policy distance requirement, while the DPA found Ludwig's reckless driving charge unsubstantiated despite officers booking him on that charge and resisting arrest.
- Ludwig lost his vehicle to impoundment and city auction while facing charges, and his shared RV was later towed; he died in September 2025 before the case was dropped and the DPA findings released.
- San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju is calling on police leadership and the Police Commission to act on the findings, though the San Francisco Police Department declined to comment citing pending litigation.
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Watchdog Group Says SFPD Officers Used Excessive Force After Pursuing Wrong Suspect
A civilian oversight group found that two SFPD officers used unnecessary force after they typed the incorrect plate number and pursued the wrong man, smashing his window and pepper-spraying him at point-blank range, an encounter that preceded his apparent suicide.
Report finds SFPD officers used unnecessary force in 2024 wrongful arrest after license plate error
An SFPD report found that two officers used unnecessary force and violated policy during the 2024 arrest of Matthew Ludwig after they entered his license plate information incorrectly, causing them to think his car was stolen. They smashed his car window, dragged him from the vehicle, and pepper-sprayed him at close range.
San Francisco police officers used excessive force on man they mistakenly arrested, report states
The Public Defender's Office said the San Francisco DA's Office refused to drop the case against Matthew Ludwig even after the mistake came to light. The charges were eventually dropped — after Ludwig died in September of 2025.
Los Angeles Times
The Seattle TimesA typo by San Francisco police led to a violent arrest of an innocent driver, officials say
A police watchdog found that San Francisco Police officers threw a man to the ground and pepper-sprayed him after they entered the wrong license plate into their computer.
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