A driver accused by police of killing two pedestrians in downtown San Francisco on New Year’s Eve while allegedly driving through a red light while intoxicated and in a stolen car has been identified as Troy McAlister, a 45-year-old city resident who was on parole after a robbery conviction.
Officials said the victims were both women. The office of the chief medical examiner identified one of the victims Friday as Elizabeth Platt, 60. Her hometown is unknown. The second victim was not yet identified early Friday afternoon.
Prison records in San Francisco show that McAlister was booked late Thursday, presumably on a charge of charges, including two counts of voluntary manslaughter, possession of a stolen vehicle, the scene of an accident, burglary, driving while under the influence of liquor and drugs were, possession of a rifle and a large-capacity ammunition magazine, and violated the conditions for parole.
Police said McAlister was driving a vehicle that was stolen when he hit a car around 4 p.m., and then the two pedestrians in Second and Mission Streets. Then he got out of the vehicle, officials said and fled to a nearby commercial building, where officers found and detained him within minutes.
One of the victims died at the scene and the second victim died after being taken to San Francisco General Hospital, police said.
The streets surrounding the crash were closed to traffic for hours while investigators questioned witnesses and gathered evidence. A black Honda was partially seen on the curb and bike lane, with its airbags inflated. It was not immediately clear whether the stolen vehicle or the vehicle hit by the suspect was.
Raj Vaswani, police commander, told The Chronicle late on Thursday that police were trying to determine in which direction the suspect was driving at the time. He said the motorist whose car was hit was not seriously injured.
In court documents, it appears that McAlister was arrested in July 2015 on suspicion of robbing a San Francisco store with a gun, although it was not immediately clear whether this was the case that led to his imprisonment and parole. McAlister later filed a federal lawsuit against three city officials, alleging that they used excessive force during the arrest. According to officers, McAlister is combative and had to be “kept in check” at the Mission District police station. A judge dismissed the case.
On the night of Nov. 6, the San Francisco State University Police Department arrested McAlister on suspicion of car burglary., owning burglary tools and violating parole conditions at the Towers at Centennial Square, a student housing complex. The status of the case was not immediately clear.
Tatiana Sanchez is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @tatianaysanchez