Driver who nearly hit, then shot pedestrian in SF gets plea deal

Easy Chang, 27, was released from jail on Feb. 10 after pleaded guilty to a felony count of assault with a firearm. He was charged with shooting a man he nearly struck in a crosswalk in San Franicsco’s Western Addition. less Easy Chang, 27, was released from jail on Feb. 10 after pleaded guilty to a felony count of assault with a firearm. He was charged with shooting a man he nearly struck in a crosswalk in San Franicsco’s ... more Photo: SFPD / / Photo: SFPD / / Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Driver who nearly hit, then shot pedestrian in SF gets plea deal 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A 27-year-old assailant — who nearly ran over a pedestrian in a San Francisco crosswalk only to pull a U-turn and come back to shoot the man — has been released from jail after taking a plea deal, officials said Thursday.

Easy Chang pleaded guilty to a felony count of assault with a firearm related to the Aug. 31, 2014, attack that left a victim with two gunshot wounds in the city’s Western Addition, the district attorney’s office said.

In exchange for the guilty plea, Chang was credited for the time he’s served since his October 2014 arrest, said Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the San Francisco district attorney’s office.

Chang was initially charged with attempted murder and assault with a firearm. The case, though, was complicated for prosecutors seeking a guilty verdict at trial because Chang’s brother was also identified as the suspect.

The brother, who was in the Bay Area for the Labor Day weekend, also had access to the vehicle used in the attack, Bastian said. Only one person was in the car at the time of the shooting.

Chang is a military veteran with no previous criminal record. No gun was ever recovered.

He will serve the remainder of his sentence under the supervision of the city’s Veterans Justice Court. Chang was released from custody on Feb. 10, according to San Francisco County Jail records, and is due for sentencing on March 15.

The victim, who was not identified and was 37 years old at the time of the shooting, has since recovered.

The attack happened as the victim crossed Golden Gate Avenue near Broderick Street. He was nearly struck by Chang, who drove through the crosswalk without yielding, police said.

When the victim shouted at the driver, police said Chang stopped his car in a driveway about 30 feet away and opened fire. Chang then drove back toward the pedestrian and shot him again, officials said.

The victim was initially treated at a hospital for life-threatening injuries.

Investigators circulated a police sketch of the driver in the days after the shooting and later identified Chang as the gunman. He was arrested six weeks later, on Oct. 14, 2014.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky