A dispute on a San Francisco beach escalated into a physical confrontation Tuesday, with one of the men involved identifying himself as a martial arts instructor and former U.S. Marine.
The incident occurred at Crissy Field, where James Hidalgo stated he was walking his dog when another man approached him. According to Hidalgo, the man aggressively questioned him, asking, "Are you calling me a dog?"
Hidalgo reported attempting to de-escalate the situation, but the other man initiated a physical assault. "He came in and he tried to punch me so then I pinned him down to the ground until the cops got here," Hidalgo told KRON. He held the man down until authorities arrived.
United States Park Police officers responded to the scene, handcuffing both individuals. Hidalgo was treated by paramedics and subsequently released. The other man was taken away by police.
Hidalgo, who is planning to press charges, expressed relief that the confrontation occurred with him, suggesting the individual might have been unable to defend himself against someone less capable of self-defense. "The guy, he was a built guy, and he knew that he could probably intimidate 90 percent of the people today. He just ran into the wrong person," Hidalgo said.
Video footage captured the brawl on the beach, showing the two men wrestling and exchanging punches in the sand. A reporter for KRON was present at the beach for another assignment and observed the altercation after hearing yelling.