A driver accused by the police of killing two pedestrians in downtown San Francisco on New Year’s Eve, allegedly passing a red light while drunk and in a stolen car and then trying to escape on foot, was identified as Troy McAlister, a man of 45 years old – Former resident of the city who was on probation after a conviction for theft.
The victims of the hit and run in the South of Market neighborhood were women, officials said. Their names were not released.
San Francisco prison records show that McAlister was charged Thursday night on suspicion of a number of charges, including two counts of voluntary manslaughter, possession of a stolen vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident, theft, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, possessing a large-capacity gun and ammunition carrier and violating parole terms.
Police said McAlister was driving a vehicle that had been stolen around 4 pm when he crashed into a car and then two pedestrians on Second and Mission streets. He then got out of the vehicle, officials said, and fled to a nearby commercial building, where police officers found him in minutes and detained him.
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 around the accident were closed to traffic for hours while investigators interviewed witnesses and gathered evidence. A black Honda was seen partially on the curb and on the bike path, its airbags burst. It was not immediately clear whether Honda was the stolen vehicle or the vehicle that was hit by the suspect.
Commander Raj Vaswani told The Chronicle on Thursday night that police were trying to determine which direction the suspect was currently traveling. He said the stricken driver was not seriously injured.
Court documents show 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 arrest and parole. McAlister subsequently filed a federal lawsuit against three city police officers, claiming that they used excessive force during their arrest. The officers claimed that McAlister was combative and “had to be contained” at the Mission District police station, the records show. A judge dismissed the case.
On the night of November 6, the San Francisco State University Police Department arrested McAlister on suspicion of car theft, possession of theft tools and violation of parole terms in the Centenary Square Towers, a student housing estate . The status of the case was not immediately clear.
Tatiana Sanchez is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @tatianaysanchez