A convicted career criminal with 91 felony charges on his record is now asking a San Francisco judge to let him swap prison time for a drug-treatment program, despite allegedly killing two pedestrians in a New Year’s Eve rampage nearly five years ago.
Protests have broken out in the deep blue California city, as many expect 50-year-old Troy McAlister to escape prison under San Francisco’s notorious soft-on-crime policies.
On Friday, defense attorney Scott Grant filed a motion asking Judge Michael Begert to grant diversion for McAlister under California Penal Code §1001.36.
The law allows certain offenders with mental health or substance abuse issues to enter treatment instead of serving prison time.
If granted, McAlister could avoid decades behind bars.
The request has sparked outrage in the city, where community members and victims’ families gathered outside the Hall of Justice with signs reading: “91 felonies, 2 deaths, No more chances” and “Justice NOW.”
Public Outrage Over “Woke” Justice
Critics say the case highlights California’s disastrous “restorative justice” policies.
“Troy McAlister has been charged with 91 felonies over the course of his multi-decade career here in San Francisco, and we don’t think that someone should be given infinite chances,” Scotty Jacobs, director of Blueprint for a Better San Francisco, told KTVU-TV.
Protesters warned that Judge Begert could face recall if he allows McAlister to enter treatment.
A Deadly Rampage
McAlister was on parole on December 31, 2020, when police say he stole a car, drove intoxicated, and blew through a red light.
The crash rampage ended up killing Hanako Abe, 27, and Elizabeth Platt, 60.
According to police, McAlister’s spree was “methamphetamine-fueled” and included stealing a cash register and a laptop before crashing into the two women.
He allegedly fled on foot but was arrested minutes later.
Despite his record of violent and property crimes, including robbery, repeated car theft, and drug offenses, charges in many of McAlister’s prior arrests were never formally pursued under then-DA Chesa Boudin.
As Slay News has previously reported, Boudin, a far-left soft-on-crime prosecutor, was funded by radical billionaire George Soros.
The outrage over the case fueled Boudin’s recall in 2022, as critics accused him of enabling dangerous repeat offenders to cycle in and out of the system.
The Law at Issue
California’s diversion statute, enacted in 2018, allows courts to redirect defendants with a mental health or substance-use diagnosis into supervised treatment if their disorder contributed to the crime and if the judge determines they do not pose a “serious public safety risk.”
Successful completion can result in charges being dismissed.
Current DA Brooke Jenkins is opposing the motion, arguing that McAlister’s long record and deadly history prove he is too dangerous for release.
A Wider Pattern Of Failure
McAlister’s case isn’t isolated. Around the country, repeat offenders are being cycled back onto the streets.
In Indianapolis, Courtney Boose, 41, was arrested again this year for allegedly stabbing a 69-year-old man at a gas station.
Records show Boose has been arrested 99 times, yet has never served prison time.
For many critics, the parallels are clear: California’s soft-on-crime policies are putting the public in danger.
The lack of justice is clearly emboldening some of the most dangerous criminals.
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