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Blue city erupts as 91-time felon tries to dodge prison, weasel into rehab after crash

Police say Troy McAlister was intoxicated when he ran a red light in a stolen car, killing Elizabeth Platt, 60, and Hanako Abe, 27

A career criminal is asking to swap prison time for a drug-treatment program nearly five years after his New Year’s Eve rampage in downtown San Francisco allegedly killed two pedestrians – reigniting fierce debate over California’s woke criminal justice practices.

On Friday, Troy McAlister’s attorney, Scott Grant, asked the court to grant mental-health and substance-abuse diversion under California Penal Code §1001.36, which could allow McAlister to enter treatment instead of facing decades in prison if Judge Michael Begert rules that he qualifies.

In deep-blue San Francisco, residents rallied to protest what they say would undermine accountability.

"91 felonies, 2 deaths, No more chances," signs read outside San Francisco’s Hall of Justice. "Judge Begert chooses politics over public safety. Justice NOW."

The case of McAlister, 50, has long been a lightning rod of restorative justice reform, forcing elected officials to confront whether policies meant to show compassion to offenders put the public at risk.

The motion has sparked protests outside San Francisco’s Hall of Justice, with community members and victims’ families calling the diversion request an "insult to justice." Some have even threatened to recall Begert if diversion is granted.

"Troy McAlister has been charged with 91 felonies over the course of his multi-decades career here in San Francisco, and we don't think that someone should be given infinite chances to ultimately correct course," Scotty Jacobs, director of Blueprint for a Better San Francisco, told KTVU-TV.

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