Blame and criticism surround case of fatal SF New Year's Eve hit-and-run tragedy
SF D.A. Boudin lists charges for fatal NYE hit-and-run crash suspect
San Francisco's District Attorney Chesa Boudin released a statement Monday afternoon listing the charges it will be bringing against 45-year-old Troy McAlister, the man suspected of being behind the wheel of a stolen car that was involved in a fatal New Year's Eve hit-and-run.
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco's District Attorney Chesa Boudin released a statement Monday afternoon listing the charges prosecutoers will be bringing against the hit-and-run suspect accused of killing two pedestrians on New Year's Eve.
Prosecutors say 45-year old Troy McAlister was the man behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle that ran a red light on Dec. 31, T-boning a car and then hitting and killing two women who were in the crosswalk at Mission and 2nd Streets.
McAlister is now facing two counts of vehicular homicide while intoxicated, leaving the scene of a deadly collision, driving a stolen vehicle, burglary and firearms charges for having a weapon with an extended magazine with him at the time of the crash.
McAlister reportedly stole the car from a woman he'd met on a dating app. He left the woman stranded at a burger restaurant in Daly City two days earlier, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
It was already known that McAlister, a parolee with recent arrests for alleged auto thefts, had been driving a stolen car at the time of the deadly collision.
The date, who met McAlister at Nation’s Giant Hamburgers, was given a fake name by McAlister. When she contacted Daly City Police Department with that information and an address, they were able to identify him. The woman said he had shown her a gun before ditching her, the Chronicle reported.
Daly City police said they notified SFPD to be on the lookout for the stolen vehicle.
Two days later, McAlister struck 60-year-old Elizabeth Platt and 27- year-old Hanako Abe in a crosswalk and tried to flee on foot, but was thwarted by bystanders, according to a witness who spoke to KTVU.
At the time of the crash, McAlister was on parole for robbery and had been arrested again in San Francisco in November and December, but city prosecutors chose not to file new charges.
The San Francisco Police Officers Association is criticizing the District Attorney's Office saying the suspect had been arrested 11 days prior to the deadly crash and should have been held in connection on his prior arrests.
"Two people were killed on New Year's Eve because Chesa Boudin refused to do his job, which is to hold criminals and victimizers accountable," SFPOA President Tony Montoya said in a statement on Monday.
The SFPOA is also calling for all records related to McAlister's 2015 case be made public, as well as the plea agreement. Additionally, the SFPOA is calling for the creation of an Independent Oversight Panel to review potential conflicts of interest in Boudin's criminal charging decisions.
Boudin said McAlister's prior arrest cases were referred to parole officers who have "more leverage" to keep a person in custody for parole violations.
"The Daly City Police, the San Francisco Police, parole, and my office all could have done things differently, which might have avoided this terrible outcome. I have to start with what we could have done differently in house and we are carefully reviewing what happened and how the District Attorney’s Office can work to prevent tragedies like this from occurring in the future," said Boudin.
Boudin said his office is meeting with the victims' families this week.
McAlister could appear in court to be arraigned as early as Tuesday.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
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