San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin commits to change after fatal hit-and-run

After the collision, McAlister, who was believed to be under the influence of methamphetamine and alcohol, ditched the Honda and fled on foot, but officers eventually apprehended him and arrested him.

Police in Daly City alleged McAlister carjacked the Honda at gunpoint from the Westlake Shopping Center two days before the hit-and-run.

McAlister is now facing a slew of charges, including manslaughter, driving while under the influence, driving a stolen vehicle, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He has yet to be arraigned in court.

Boudin, who served as a public defender before being elected to district attorney, once represented McAlister in connection with a 2015 armed robbery conviction. Earlier this year, Boudin’s office reportedly agreed to a plea deal in the 2015 case, allowing McAlister to go free on parole.

In a statement on Monday, Boudin sent condolences to the Abe and Platt families, and also admitted some culpability.

“Although no one predicted this tragedy, it is true that 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,” he said. “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 one from occurring in the future.

“I am implementing concrete changes to our long-standing practices regarding referrals to other agencies. We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners — including police agencies and parole — to make systematic changes effective immediately.”

Boudin has called for a review of the events leading up the hit-and-run and said moving forward, his office will require that prosecutors communicate directly with parole officers when referring cases that involve parole violations.

The San Francisco Police Officers Association has alleged that following the plea deal from the 2015 case, McAlister has since been arrested several times, but no criminal charges were ever filed as a result of those 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.

“The public deserves transparency and accountability from their district attorney,” Montoya said. “It’s time for a public, independent review of the District Attorney’s actions and for a full accounting of conflicts of interest in his office before anyone else gets killed by another career criminal.”

Boudin said his office is meeting with the victims’ families this week.