San Francisco Bar Owner Arrested for Alleged Baseball Bat Attack Over Parking Spot

Cyril Hackett, the owner of several well-known San Francisco bars, was arrested early Saturday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and second-degree robbery. The charges stem from an alleged incident involving a baseball bat and a dispute over a parking space.

Hackett, 63, owns establishments including Mad Dog in the Fog, Kezar Pub, and Murio’s Trophy Room in the city's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. He was booked into jail on Saturday morning, according to jail records.

The confrontation reportedly began Friday afternoon outside Further, a clothing store located near Mad Dog in the Fog. Hackett allegedly engaged in a verbal argument with an employee over a parking spot directly in front of the store. According to reports, Hackett returned later Friday evening after the store had closed.

Surveillance footage captured a man identified as Hackett entering the store, swinging a baseball bat, and swiping an item of clothing from a rack before being confronted by an employee and chased out. The San Francisco Police Department responded to a call regarding a person with a baseball bat at a business on Haight Street around 8:54 p.m. Friday. Officers arrived to find that the suspect had allegedly assaulted another victim and subsequently located and arrested Hackett at another nearby business.

Hackett, an Irish immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for over 40 years, has owned Kezar Pub for more than three decades and recently acquired Murio’s Trophy Room. Mad Dog in the Fog has a connection to the band Train, which named an album after the pub and has performed there.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the SFPD.