A San Francisco jury found a 20-year-old man guilty of trying to sexually assault a teenage girl and then claiming to be his twin brother when officers tried to arrest him, prosecutors said Wednesday.
The jury found Rayvoughn Smith guilty of assault with intent to commit a sex offense with an underage person, child endangerment, false imprisonment and providing false information to an officer.
The charges stem from the April 22 attempted sexual assault of a 16-year-old victim in The City’s Fillmore neighborhood.
According to prosecutors, the victim was with her friends, who were also underage, when Smith called her and offered to bring them alcohol and marijuana.
The victim agreed and when Smith arrived, he and the victim and two of her friends went to a parking garage near Fillmore and Ellis streets, prosecutors said.
At some point, however, the victim’s friends went home and Smith then led the underage girl to discreet area of the parking garage and began to force himself on her.
When Smith pulled her pants down and exposed himself to her, the victim refused to go any further. Smith then began beating the victim.
The victim tried to fight back but Smith grabbed a glass bottle and threatened to hit her with it.
A parking garage clerk saw the struggle on surveillance cameras and called the police.
When officers arrived, Smith allegedly tried to walk past them and told the officers that the victim was drunk and that he was trying to take her home. Officers, however, detained him and Smith identified himself as his twin brother.
Smith told officers that while he knew the victim was underage, they had only met no more than five times in the past and never had sex. When officers confronted him with video surveillance from the garage, Smith admitted to hitting her because she refused to have sex with him.
The victim suffered swelling and abrasions to her eye and cheekbone and also had bruises on neck, according to prosecutors.
District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement:
“A victim fought for her life, and a Good Samaritan acted on her instinct and called 911. … Were it not for the strength and courage of this young woman, and this bystander quickly reaching out for help, I fear the outcome could have been much worse.”
Assistant District Attorney Lili Nguyen, who prosecuted the case, said in a statement:
“The victim in this case in this case may be young, but her courage and heart showed no limit. … She testified against the defendant, enduring the revictimization that occurs when one retells a horror they experienced. The jury’s verdict is a reflection of her character and strength.”
Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. © 2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Missing your best player is never easy. It's normal for teams to struggle, especially if that best player is...
The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating a ferry crash that occurred Friday afternoon at the San Francisco Ferry Building.
A 24-year-old San Jose man died and three others were injured in a suspected drunken driving crash early this...
