Mayor’s Security Detail Allegedly Involved in Assault Following Viral Video Incident

A homeless man accused of assaulting the bodyguard of San Francisco’s Mayor has been set free, following a judge’s ruling that the conflict was instigated by the security officer. The incident, which unfolded in the city’s Tenderloin district, was captured on a viral video.

The footage depicted a scuffle between Joel Aguayo, the bodyguard for mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie, and Tony Phillips, a 44-year-old homeless man. The two were seen grappling at a crosswalk, with both eventually falling to the ground.

Initially, Phillips faced charges for allegedly assaulting a peace officer. However, Judge Sylvia Husing concluded that it was Aguayo who initiated the aggression. “The bodyguard violently attacked him first,” she stated, as reported by the New York Post.

Additional video evidence, shot from a higher vantage point, seems to corroborate this conclusion. It shows Phillips being shoved forcefully by Aguayo, causing him to stumble backward into garbage. This incident preceded the physical exchange seen in the original viral clip, where punches were thrown as the mayor swiftly exited the scene.

After Phillips stood up, several punches were exchanged, as shown in the first viral clip. As the two tussled, the mayor is seen walking briskly away.

The two eventually fell to the ground, and Phillips could be seen wrestling on top of Aguayo.  

Phillips’ attorney, Ivan Rodriguez, placed full blame on Mayor Lurie for the rumble.

Video surfaced allegedly showing the San Francisco mayor’s bodyguard launching a full-on brawl against a homeless man

Tony Phillips, 44, was charged with instigating an attack on Mayor Daniel Lurie on March 5

‘The mayor lured his security detail into engaging in this senseless altercation, all for political theatrics, your honor,’ Rodriguez said, according to Mission Local.

‘I don’t think that’s leadership, I think that’s performative,’ he said.

Phillips faced multiple charges, including resisting an officer and assaulting a peace officer with the potential to cause serious injury. 

The 44-year-old pleaded not guilty, and his attorney is seeking to have all charges dismissed while also questioning whether the mayor or his security team should face charges. 

‘I’m doing better out of jail. I was sweating,’ Phillips said to reporters after his release on Thursday. ‘I know what’s running in my mind. My thoughts are clear, at least.’

Mayor Lurie allegedly told his security to stop near an alleyway by Cedar Street and left the SUV to confront homeless people on the sidewalk, according to a police report obtained by the San Francisco Standard. 

Lurie allegedly asked them to move, to which Phillips asked: ‘On whose behalf do I need to move?’

‘I’ll Bruce Lee kick your a**,’ he said to Aguayo, according to the report. 

Mayor Lurie fully backed his security, saying he was concerned for Phillips’ safety and wanted the group to move away from the area. 

‘They put themselves in harm’s way every single day,’ he said, per CBS. ‘Looking out for me, looking out for my children, and looking out for my wife. 

Mayor Lurie at a press conference, he fully backed his security, saying he was concerned for Phillips’ safety and wanted the group to move away from the area

‘I want you all to know that I want to look out for them like I want to look out for every member of our SFPD.’

A second man, Abraham Simon, who allegedly intervened, was also charged with resisting, delaying, and obstructing a peace officer. 

Phillips was previously arrested in 2019 on suspicion of murder after a stabbing incident but faced no charges due to lack of evidence. 

‘The case is proceeding. I’m going to let it play out,’ Lurie said on Wednesday.

‘I’m going to continue to focus on public safety, that’s always going to be my number one priority, and I will continue to lead in that way.’

Mayor Lurie is known for his efforts to crack down on drug-fueled crime in the downtown San Francisco area.

Lurie said that his administration has managed to reduce crime by 30 percent in 2025, and by 40 percent in the financial district, which includes Union Square.

He told Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast that this is due to an influx of new officers on the street – marking ‘the first net increase in police and sheriffs in 10 years’.

Homeless people are seen on a sidewalk in San Francisco, California

‘Violent crime in our city, we haven’t seen these type of rates since the 1950s… what we are doing is working,’ Lurie said.

Lurie said that he ran for office ‘because of the disorder on the streets of San Francisco’ and he is still pushing for more officer recruitment.

‘My number one issue was public safety, my number two issue was the behavioral health crisis, and my number three issue is that I want to tell the world that San Francisco is open for business,’ he told Odd Lots.

‘We need police officers walking the beat along commercial corridors,’ Lurie added.

‘Our families that are taking their kids to public school and are using Muni (the city’s transport system) deserve a Muni stop that is free of people that are using drugs, it’s unacceptable.’

‘We need to get back to full staffing, and we can handle it,’ Lurie added.