Man accused of fatal punch outside Peet’s Coffee in SF acquitted

A San Francisco man accused of fatally punching a man following an argument in line at a Peet’s Coffee location was acquitted of all charges, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Mario Forchelli, 38, had been charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury and an additional great bodily injury enhancement in the death of Marc Garcia, 60.

Forchelli, who had no history of violence, faced more than six years in prison if convicted, but he was acquitted Thursday, according to the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, which represented him.

Click through to see violent crimes reported by Bay Area cities in 2016, starting with the cities that reported the highest incidents of violent crime. Statistics from the FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2016. Click through to see violent crimes reported by Bay Area cities in 2016, starting with the cities that reported the highest incidents of violent crime. Statistics from the FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2016. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Photo: Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Man accused of fatal punch outside Peet’s Coffee in SF acquitted 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

The charges stemmed from an early-morning confrontation inside a Peet’s Coffee on Van Ness Avenue in October 2015, as Forchelli waited in line behind Garcia, said Forchelli’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Herman Holland.

When the barista told Garcia his coffee would take a minute to brew — and to wait for the next customer — Garcia became irritated and refused to budge, prosecutors said. After Forchelli squeezed past Garcia, he was jabbed in the back of the neck by an angry Garcia.

After Garcia taunted Forchelli and tried to prevent him from leaving the coffee shop, the two came to blows outside, with Forchelli claiming he acted in self-defense after he was struck first.

Garcia fell, striking his head on the pavement, and died that night. Forchelli said he didn’t realize the man died after their altercation and didn’t find out until police posted photos of him from surveillance footage on social media in an effort to locate him, leading Forchelli to turn himself in.

Holland based the case for his client around self-defense, and the medical examiner testified that there was no evidence of trauma to the front of Garcia’s face, supporting that the dead man’s fall was caused by him losing his balance — and not Forchelli’s punch.

“It’s clear it is something that will stay with him forever,” Holland said. “However, it’s not a crime to protect yourself, even when tragedy results. He tried to walk away and eventually it became unsafe to do so.”

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley