SF Cop To Go On Trial For Domestic Violence

A San Francisco police officer will go to trial on charges of assaulting his then-girlfriend, according to reports.

Richard Soares, a cop in the SFPD's field operations bureau who was off-duty at the time, is alleged to have shoved an unidentified woman on Jan. 7, the San Francisco Appeal online newspaper reports. The woman fell and hit her head, according to prosecutors, who charged Soares with felony assault and misdemeanor domestic violence battery charges.

A judge on Friday ruled that there was sufficient evidence for Soares to stand trial, and denied a request to reduce Soares's charge from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Soares is free on bail but is on unpaid leave from the police department. He is scheduled to be arraigned April 6, according to reports.