The U.S. District Attorney’s Office announced federal charges Wednesday against a man who was caught on video assaulting a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy, then robbing her and firing his own gun at her.
Ari Aki Young, 26, was charged with possession of a stolen firearm and discharging a weapon during a violent crime, among other crimes.
Young had previously been acquitted of the most serious state charges of attempted murder and assault with a weapon in 2023, but was convicted of negligently discharging a weapon and sentenced to a year and a half in prison.
“We believe that justice has not been served in these proceedings, and therefore we are bringing these federal criminal charges,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said at a news conference in Riverside on Wednesday.
The case began on September 4, 2019, when San Bernardino County Deputy Sheriff Meagan McCarthy, then Meagan Forsberg, responded to a call from a mother who reported a “disturbance” with her son, Young.
Young confronted McCarthy in the driveway, “very, very angry,” the deputy said in an interview with ABC-7. As she tried to stop Young, he turned and fought for his gun. He wrestled it from her and opened fire. McCarthy took cover behind a bush. Other deputies arrived and shot Young several times, but he survived.
Typically, federal charges are not brought in cases where state charges already apply, unless there is a substantial government interest, said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.
The dual sovereignty doctrine allows two different agencies to bring charges for the same crime without violating the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment, provided the crime affects both jurisdictions.
“It didn’t go the way they wanted it to at the state level,” Rahmani said, which is why prosecutors are filing federal charges.
According to the federal complaint, the gun Young stole belonged to the sheriff’s department and was manufactured out of state.[The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department] “The country has a large budget and enormous purchasing power, much of which affects interstate and foreign commerce,” the complaint says.
The charges include violations of the Hobbs Act, which deals with robbery and extortion affecting interstate commerce. Rahmani said adding the Hobbs Act violation to the theft of a gun is not normal and could suggest a weakness in the government’s case.
Typically, Hobbs Act cases have closer ties to interstate commerce, such as using a telephone to extort money from someone, which may be missing in this case, he said.
“If there’s no connection to interstate commerce, they should dismiss the case,” he said. “That’s a bit of a stretch.”
Asked at the news conference why the jury previously acquitted Young in the state trial, Estrada said he was trying “not to read the tea leaves in terms of what a jury looks at, considers or doesn’t consider.”
“When a law enforcement officer is trying to do their job and they are brutally assaulted by an individual,” Estrada said, “it’s appropriate that there be federal charges and that we send a message that we will not tolerate this type of behavior.”
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon D. Dicus said at Wednesday’s news conference that he was “shocked” by the verdict against Young and that violence against police officers is on the rise. “Everyone needs to remember that a law enforcement officer can be a victim, too,” he said.
During the trial, Young’s attorney argued that McCarthy had unlawfully detained him.
Young’s attorney admitted to jurors that he fired McCarthy’s gun, but maintained that he did not aim at the deputy. Young was convicted in 2023 of negligently discharging a weapon but acquitted of more serious charges of attempted murder of McCarthy and assault with a firearm. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on charges of battery on a peace officer, taking an officer’s weapon and resisting arrest.
McCarthy told ABC-7 the verdict left her “in disbelief.” Responding to a call about a possible domestic dispute, she said, “I would be remiss if I didn’t investigate. I can only do what I can do. I’m a human being, I tried to do my job to help this woman, and unfortunately, the suspect’s actions dictated the rest.”
