EXCLUSIVE: San Francisco firefighter describes brutal attack by colleague in 2022 that ended his career

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Gabriel Shin described the attack by another San Francisco firefighter. “The whole time I was yelling at him, saying, ‘Robert, stop, what’s wrong with you, stop,’ you know, and he just wouldn’t stop. He was relentless.”

Shin is speaking publicly for the first time about a brutal attack that he says ended his career. Another firefighter is facing charges for hitting him with a fire hydrant wrench. The I-Team’s Dan Noyes first told you about this case two years ago, but now the victim has decided to speak out about what happened.

EXCLUSIVE: SFFD tries to keep firefighter’s arrest and brutal beating of his colleague secret

In connection with this attack, Gabriel Shin has filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court that raises a fundamental question: Why was the victim fired from the San Francisco Fire Department when the suspect still works there?

San Francisco firefighter Robert Mohammad had a family crisis in July 2021; out of respect for his privacy, we will not disclose details. But his colleagues were concerned about him.

Former San Francisco firefighter Gabriel Shin told the I-Team, “People offered to cook for him, people offered to cover his shifts for free, and he turned down my offers. But I’ve never had a conflict with him before.”

Six months after this family crisis, firefighter Gabriel Shin tells me that Muhammad called and asked who at the fire station had discussed his private affairs.

Gabriel Shin: “Robert, I said, I take responsibility for talking about it, and you know, we were worried about you, but I’m not going to tell you who told me. And he said the next time he sees me, he’s going to hurt me.”

Daniel Noyes: “He said that?”

Shin: “Yeah. Well, I mean, he used a derogatory word, but yeah.”

No Yes: “Well, I’d like to know what he said.”

Shin: “Next time I see you, I’m going to page you. That’s exactly what he said.”

According to court documents, two days after that phone call, Robert Muhammad used a computer in Station 25 to look up Shin’s work schedule and home address and left the station with what is known as a “hydrant key” – a heavy, 15-inch-long brass key used to turn water on and off. Muhammad drove across the bridge to Shin’s Oakland home and found him outside the house sweeping the sidewalk.

“I heard someone say, ‘Are you going to tell me? Are you going to tell me who told you?'” Shin said. “And I turned around and said, ‘Robert, what are you doing here?’ He said, ‘Who are you protecting?’ I said, ‘I forgot.’ And then he reached into his back pocket. He pulled out the big brass key and started hitting my head.”

A witness called 911.

Emergency call center: “911, what are you reporting?”

Caller: “Yes, someone is being hit with a wrench at 9th Avenue and East 19th Street.”

According to court documents, Muhammad struck Shin in the head with the wrench about 12 times, breaking his arms as he tried to protect himself and giving him a concussion. One blow sent Shin’s glasses flying across the street, he said. The attack only ended when a neighbor who campaigns against human trafficking pulled out a gun and confronted Muhammad.

Shin told us, “And then he slowly dropped the wrench, looked back and walked to his car, which was about a block and a half away.”

Robert Muhammad has pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which carries multiple penalties and a special charge of aggravated assault. His defense attorney, Jim Bustamente, has declined to be interviewed about the case in the past…

Noyes on January 29: “I will address this in the future. Thank you for your time.”

… and did not return our calls and emails seeking a response to the Gabriel Shin interview this week.

In addition to the criminal case, Shin has filed a civil lawsuit against the City and County of San Francisco, Robert Muhammad, Chief Jeanine Nicholson and other members of the San Francisco Fire Department for assault, battery, racial discrimination, disability discrimination, retaliation and more. Shin’s attorney, James Torres, says Robert Muhammad was never disciplined and never missed a paycheck. “Here we have a man who the Chief allowed to continue working all this time and continue to receive taxpayer money even though he attempted to murder a fellow firefighter.”

The complaint also states that several of Shin’s direct superiors ordered him to drop the charges and not to cooperate with the police investigation into the attack.

“The first person called me and said, ‘Is there any way we can work this out?’ Gabriel Shin said. “The second person called me and said, ‘You can’t charge him. You know, you have to drop the charges. This man has a family.’ And of course I was angry. I said, ‘You know, he just tried to kill me.'”

The lawsuit states: “From the beginning, they treated Shin with shocking bias and Muhammad with astonishing preference because they saw a difference: Shin is Asian and Muhammad is black.” In their response, the defendants deny each allegation.

Gabriel Shin, who is still recovering from his injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, refused to be questioned by firefighters, who said they would not be questioning him about the attack but about who spoke about Robert Muhammad’s family crisis.

“Within days of that, Police Chief Nicholson and his deputies took away his pay,” said James Torres. “They took away his health insurance before he could even recover from his injuries.”

No response from Chief Nicholson, and the office of District Attorney David Chiu emailed me that “we will continue to respond to the complaint in court.” The District Attorney has arranged for outside counsel for all defendants. Another point from the federal court filing:

911 Dispatchers: “San Francisco Police.”

Brandon Kleinman: “Hey, there’s a guy following me. I just delivered some legal documents to him. I’m on Treasure Island. Could you maybe help me?”

Last year, a bailiff went to the firefighter training center where Robert Muhammad now works. After serving the firefighter a citation, he got into a chase with Muhammad and called 911, according to Brandon Kleinman. “And it was pouring rain, there’s construction going on on the island. It’s really weird.”

911 Dispatchers: “Is the subject now agitated and following you in his vehicle?”

Kleinman: “Yes.”

Kleinman says: “We’re going about 75 miles an hour, weaving between the other cars. We’re not the only ones on the road. And he’s coming at me, swerving and trying to hit me.”

Muhammad eventually backed down. Gabriel Shin’s lawyer told me they informed the prosecutor and included a statement about the incident in the file.

Shin added: “I think if you look at the situation objectively, it is impossible for him to still be working. If he were a police officer, I think he would no longer be working and would be receiving a salary. I don’t understand why this is happening, but it is happening.”

Gabriel Shin now spends most of his time out of state. He tells me that if he stays in his Oakland home, there are too many things that could trigger his PTSD.

Check out more stories from the ABC7 News I-Team.