By Jose FabianThe San Francisco Public Defender’s Office Monday called on police leadership and the police commission to act on a findings report that states officers used excessive force during a wrongful arrest in 2024. San Francisco police officers would then proceed to smash the driver’s window, drag the driver out and pepper-spray him — actions that a San Francisco Department of Police Accountability (DPA) report states were excessive. The Public Defender’s Office said the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office refused to drop the case even after the mistake came to light. The DA’s office ultimately dropped the case, the Public Defender’s Office said, after Ludwig died in September of 2025. Still facing charges of reckless driving and resisting arrest, he was offered diversion by the prosecution as a final deal, the Public Defender’s Office said.