A fight last year between a group of San Francisco firefighters and a Marin County sheriff’s deputy at a North Beach bar and restaurant has turned into a legal battle, with the city’s fire chief issuing a rare message to his staff to comply with an investigation into the altercation.

Part-time Marin County Sheriff’s Deputy David Gallegioni filed a lawsuit last month alleging that he was struck in the head “without provocation” by SFFD firefighters Eigil Qwist and Patrick Rabbitt at the North Beach Original Joe’s location in October. Gallegioni is also suing Original Joe’s, alleging negligence. 

The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident that led SFFD Chief Dean Crispen to issue an “extraordinary” message to firefighters last week, urging them to comply with investigators, according to NBC Bay Area (KNTV-TV). The outlet reported that Qwist had worked with the department for two decades and was part of SFFD’s elite rescue squad at the time of the incident. Qwist was arrested months after the alleged fight, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

Last October, Gallegioni was dining with his friends and family at the Original Joe’s when his daughter informed him that she was sexually assaulted by a man who was “intentionally touching her buttocks,” according to the lawsuit. Original Joe’s staff were informed of the report and separated the two parties, the lawsuit said. When Gallegioni’s wife told Qwist and Rabbitt not to interact with her daughter, the lawsuit alleges that one of the two firefighters said, “Don’t mess with us,” as he gestured to the group of firefighters he was with. The lawsuit said the men were wearing SFFD shirts and hats and called the gesture a “show of authority and intimidation.” 

According to the lawsuit, Qwist and Rabbitt exited the restaurant when Original Joe’s staff separated them from Gallegioni’s party, but later returned inside and assaulted Gallegioni. Original Joe’s staff allegedly did nothing to help, and Gallegioni had to seek medical attention on his own, the lawsuit said. 

Allison Maxie, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department, told SFGATE that officers responded to the incident at about 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 12 and “met with the victim who stated that an unknown male subject touched her inappropriately” and that the man attacked her father after a confrontation. The suspect had already left the scene when officers responded, Maxie said, but an investigation identified 52-year-old Qwist as a suspect, and officers arrested him on Jan. 16. 

Qwist faces misdemeanor assault charges and is due back in court in May, according to KNTV. SFGATE reached out to Original Joe’s for comment but did not hear back by publication. 

SFFD Lt. Mariano Elias told SFGATE via email that the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is actively investigating the incident and could not comment further, but shared that SFFD remains “committed to professionalism, accountability, and fully cooperating” as the “process moves forward.” The City Attorney’s Office confirmed to SFGATE that it was investigating the case but declined to comment.