‘It was the perfect storm’: the fatal crash that changed criminal justice in San Francisco

In 2020, Troy McAlister ran into two women while on parole, fueling a campaign to undo reforms. Three years later, the city faces the fallout

On the afternoon of 31 December 2020, as San Francisco prepared to celebrate the first New Year's Eve of the pandemic, Troy McAlister drove a stolen car through a red light in the city's SoMa neighborhood and hit another vehicle.

The collision sent McAlister's car crashing into two women who were crossing the street. Hanako Abe, a 27-year-old real estate analyst, and Elizabeth Platt, a 60-year-old radio DJ who was struggling with homelessness, did not survive the hit.