Sagon Penn Arrested in Domestic-Violence Case

Sagon Penn, twice acquitted in the 1985 slaying a police officer, was booked on suspicion of assault on a spouse, battery on a police officer and resisting arrest, officials said Monday. He was being held in County Jail in lieu of $17,000 bail.

Dave Cohen, a spokesman for the San Diego Police Department, said a police officer and a reserve officer responded to a domestic violence call about 11 p.m. Sunday in the 3800 block of Caminito Aguilar in Clairemont.

When they arrived, Annilie Carmichael told them she wanted a man removed from her apartment. Carmichael, 35, gave the man’s name as Mecee Parks, but the policeman, John Uravish, recognized the man as Penn.

Police said Carmichael told them that Penn had twisted her right arm, bruising it, and thrown her to the ground.

“She said she was afraid for herself and her three children,” Cohen said, adding that the children are between 3 and 8 years old.

Penn, 28, was sitting on a sofa and refused to leave when Uravish asked him to, Cohen said, adding that Penn resisted the officer’s attempt to handcuff him. Uravish called for assistance, and about five or six officers responded, Cohen said.

Penn again refused to leave and this time stood up from the sofa and assumed a “martial arts fighting stance,” Cohen said. A scuffle ensued, in which Uravish received a minor injury to a knee.

The backup officers used a Taser gun to subdue Penn. The gun delivers barbs that emit electrical voltage upon striking a person, Cohen said, adding that the person is then “unable to do much.”

The officers then handcuffed Penn and took him out of the apartment, Cohen said.

The barbs were removed at UC San Diego Medical Center and Penn was then booked into jail.

Two juries acquitted Penn of the murder of San Diego Police Officer Thomas Riggs. He was also acquitted of wounding another officer and a civilian ride-along. The last trial was in 1987.

In 1989, Penn pleaded guilty to misdemeanor vandalism charges after he became involved in an altercation with an ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. Penn was ordered to undergo psychological counseling and pay $1,500 in restitution for the damage he did to the boyfriend’s vehicle.