(Update 12:50 p.m.): Eliana Lopez responds to the video release. Read after the jump:
The Chronicle has obtained the incriminating video that everyone has been waiting for -- the one Eliana Lopez made the day after her husband, Sheriff-in-limbo Ross Mirkarimi, bruised her arm in a domestic dispute.
The 45-second video, taken by Lopez's neighbor Ivory Madison, shows Lopez crying and explaining how she got the bruise on her arm and how "this is the second time this is happening."
The video was obtained by police with a search warrant, and has become the key evidence in the case against Mirkarimi, who pled guilty to misdemeanor charges of false imprisonment in connection to the Dec. 31 domestic dispute. The video has been hidden from the public until now.
Mayor Ed Lee has made it clear he wants Mirkarimi out of his position as sheriff, and has pointed to this video as evidence of officials misconduct.
Lopez's attorney has been fighting to keep this very video out of the public domain, claiming it serves no purpose other than to humiliate Lopez and cause her and her 3-year-old son Theo grief.
After the video went public, Lopez, who is still in Venezuela with her son, released the following statement to the press:
"I am sad and hurt by the elected officials of the city of San Francisco: Mayor Lee, City Attorney Herrera, District Attorney George Gascón, and Judge Wong. They each have contributed to the release of the video against my wishes and allowed it to go viral. Because of their actions the images on that video will exist forever for anyone to see -- including my son, Theo, now and forever. My grandchildren will see the video, as well as my great grandchildren. I believe what Judge Wong, the District Attorney, the City Attorney, and Mayor Lee have done to me is far worse than anything they accuse Ross of doing. I hope they realize after reflection that what they have done is irreparable and perpetually damaging to me and my family."Follow us on Twitter @TheSnitchSF and @SFWeekly
