A California sheriff’s deputy has criticized a jury for acquitting a man charged with her attempted murder, calling the decision a “stab in the back” and a dangerous precedent for law enforcement and victims of violence.
In a shocking 2019 incident captured on video, former San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy Meagan McCarthy was brutally attacked by Ari Young, who overpowered her, seized her gun, and fired shots at her.
Despite the disturbing footage, a jury found Young not guilty of attempted murder and assault with a firearm on a police officer on May 31. Instead, he was convicted of a lesser charge—firing a gun with gross negligence—and was released from jail.
McCarthy, who spent nearly four years recovering from the attack, told Fox & Friends First that she was “heartbroken” by the verdict. “I’ve spent nearly four years healing from this incident, and to be told, ‘You’re not a victim. You don’t get to speak. You don’t get to have that closure,’ that was kind of the knife in the back that I was hoping I wouldn’t have,” she said.
She blamed a recent reform in California’s jury selection process, which she argues allows jurors with an “expressed bias” against law enforcement to serve. “If you express an implicit bias towards law enforcement, you are allowed to sit on a jury. And that has never been the case before,” McCarthy explained. She feels this rule stacks the odds against police officers who become victims of violent crimes.
California Assembly Bill 3070, which went into effect in 2022, prohibits the exclusion of potential jurors based on “expressing a distrust of or having a negative experience with law enforcement or the criminal legal system” and “expressing a belief that law enforcement officers engage in racial profiling or that criminal laws have been enforced in a discriminatory manner.”
McCarthy criticized the justice system, saying it failed her and set a damaging precedent. “To say that somehow I’m not a victim and I’m not righteous of the closure of the justice system is just very damaging to not just cops but people,” she said.
During the trial, Young’s defense argued that McCarthy had no lawful authority to detain him, claiming he acted in self-defense. Young’s attorney argued that McCarthy had no right to pat down Young, who was suffering from a mental breakdown. “The deputy didn’t have lawful authority to detain Young—therefore, he’s free to defend himself and do ‘whatever he wants to get away from her, including beating her up and shooting at her,'” the defense claimed.
McCarthy disagreed with this interpretation. “That’s not correct. That’s not the law. And I don’t think the judge should have allowed that argument to be presented in that manner,” she said.
Young, 21 at the time of the incident, reportedly suffered from mental illness. His mother had called the police, claiming her son was having a mental breakdown. The video of the attack, captured by a neighbor, shows Young repeatedly punching McCarthy in the face and head, taking her gun, and firing multiple shots as she tried to escape.
Despite the life-threatening situation, McCarthy survived the attack without serious injuries. She described hearing a gunshot as she ran for cover and feared for her life. “A portion of me accepted that I was about to get murdered,” she told ABC 7.
Following the verdict, McCarthy expressed disbelief, stating, “I think it took a couple of hours to actually hit me.” She said she had hoped for justice and closure but felt betrayed by the outcome.
San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Shannon Dicus also criticized the verdict, saying, “The video speaks for itself, and more importantly, it demonstrates the increasing violence the public and our deputies experience.” He expressed frustration over the lack of accountability for “brazen and violent crimes.”
McCarthy retired from the sheriff’s department in March 2022, partially due to post-traumatic stress from the attack.