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DSA In the News

Lawyer ready to defend SFO dustup

Published on 1/14/2011


The former Los Angeles city attorney arrested for attacking officers with a metal dustpan pole at San Francisco International Airport on Christmas Eve will represent herself before a judge at the end of January.

Angela Kay West, 50, is charged with four misdemeanors related to the alleged Dec. 24 skirmish at a coffee kiosk in which she allegedly attacked police and other travelers.

At a pretrial conference yesterday, West declined to settle her case and will face trial Jan. 25. West previously waived a jury trial and instead a judge will hear the evidence and decide if she is guilty.

West was arrested just before 8 a.m. Christmas Eve in the terminal three food court near Peet’s Coffee after allegedly pulling a three-foot metal pole from a custodian’s dustpan and swinging it at responding officers. West also threw metal milk containers, flailed and kicked one officer in the groin.

She also shouted that she was a lesbian and that the officers could not have sex with her. After being arrested, West was taken to Mills Hospital for a mental hold. Several days later, she was booked into the county jail and charged with misdemeanor counts of assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a deadly weapon, battery on a peace officer and vandalism.

Her original $25,000 bail was dropped to $10,000 but she remains in custody. 

West is a graduate of Harvard Law School and previously served as the deputy city attorney for Los Angeles.

If convicted, she faces up to a year in jail and probation.