SAN FRANCISCO—A man accused of setting fire to a Mercedes Benz parked inside an apartment complex has been acquitted of charges of burglary and arson based-upon tainted identification.
Anthony Berajano, 48, did indeed visit the Rincon Hill complex near First and Harrison Streets on June 19, the day the luxury car was set ablaze. Berajano, who visited the building on that day to serve legal documents, was identified on security cameras and misidentified as the arsonist by the valet.
A crucial element of Berajano’s successful defense was that he was identified by the valet based-upon a single photograph, and that he was pressed to identify the arsonist when surrounded by his boss and police officers.
Berajano, who previously had a clean criminal record, had his house searched and his clothing tested by authorities, who found no residue of a fire accelerant or any potential motive for him to torch the vehicle.
If convicted, he would have faced a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
