Overview

• Public defender Scott Grant moved to shift Troy McAlister’s case to Drug/Mental Health Court, citing an accepted placement at Salvation Army Harbor Lights and a structured treatment plan with monitoring.
• The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office opposes diversion, arguing McAlister is dangerous and ineligible due to DUI charges, and says it intends to take the case to trial.
• Protesters rallied at the Hall of Justice to denounce diversion, with organizers threatening a recall effort targeting the judge who oversees treatment courts and criticizing the public defender.
• Prosecutors say McAlister was allegedly high on methamphetamine, driving a stolen car, and carrying a firearm when he ran red lights, fatally striking Hanako Abe and Elizabeth Platt before fleeing.
• Defense filings also note delays and a disputed process, alleging the DA pursued a secret grand jury and refiled the case; the court scheduled a contested diversion hearing for Oct. 28.