Outrage erupts after San Francisco judge suspends sentence for black man who brutally killed elderly Asian man

The man convicted of a heinous lethal attack on an 84-year-old man got his prison sentence suspended by a San Francisco judge on Thursday.

The horrendous attack on Vicha Ratanapakdee in 2021 was captured on video and helped inspire the "Stop Asian Hate" movement. Antoine Watson was 19 years old when he ran violently into the victim and shoved him to the ground. Ratanapakdee died from his injuries.

'Today's sentence is deeply disappointing. An 84-year-old man was killed in a cruel, unprovoked attack, and our family will live with this loss every day.'

Watson was convicted of involuntary manslaughter but acquitted of the murder charge earlier this year. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, but the trial judge suspended the sentence and gave Watson credit for five years of time served while awaiting the conclusion of the trial.

The man's family is outraged at the decision.

"Today's sentence is deeply disappointing. An 84-year-old man was killed in a cruel, unprovoked attack, and our family will live with this loss every day," reads a statement from the victim's daughter. "This is not about revenge — it is about accountability. When consequences do not match the harm, it sends the wrong message about protecting our seniors and public safety. We are concerned about what this means for other families."

The family has accused Watson, a black man, of having a racial motive for the attack, but he was not charged with a hate crime.

A defense attorney for Watson said he intentionally pushed the victim but did not intend to kill him, arguing that Watson had a mental health breakdown over a police encounter earlier that morning.

Watson was also ordered to undergo weekly therapy sessions and submit to searches of him and his property.

Critics see the "Grandpa Vicha" case as yet another terrible example of lax criminal prosecution that does nothing to discourage further crime and violence. Others decry the alleged racial component of the lethal attack.

RELATED: VIDEO: Thug sprints across street, slams into 84-year-old man, flattens him on driveway. Victim later dies.

However, if Watson does not follow the rules of probation, he could be forced to serve the rest of his sentence, which is three years.

Watson's public defender, Anita Nabha, said he was remorseful about the incident.

"As a grandson, it is really hard for him to accept the conduct that he did and that he took two children's grandfather away from them," Nabha said.

The victim's family says justice was not served by the suspended sentence.

"The bottom line is that he's out in, like, five years on probation for killing our father-in-law, and it's unacceptable," said the man's son-in-law, Eric Lawson.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!