Brandon McGlone, who was convicted of lighting students on fire at U.C. Berkeley in 2020, may not serve jail time for the attack. Instead, McGlone has been given the option of a diversion program.
The Berkeley Scanner reports that McGlone, who faced multiple felonies, agreed to a plea deal with the Alameda County district attorney’s office and the public defender’s office.
According to a press release from Berkeley Police, McGlone knocked their food off the table, threatened to light them on fire and eventually sprayed WD-40 on them as they walked away.
From there, he entered a boba tea shop called Feng Cha Teahouse and sprayed two other people with WD-40 before lighting the spray, according to the release.
Security footage acquired by San Francisco’s KPIX showed the moment the tea shop customers were attacked.
Police said, several people nearby “tried to subdue the suspect,” after he left the tea shop. In the struggle, McGlone “showed others that he was armed with a hatchet.”
When police arrived, they found he was carrying other weapons, including knives, a machete, and Molotov cocktails.
If McGlone successfully completes the diversion program, the charges against him will be dismissed.
