We hear a lot about “social” justice, but how is actual justice being dished across our once-united states? When it comes to serving red-hot punishment, California, for one, isn’t on fire.
Consider the case of Brandon McGlone. According to witnesses, on September 14th, 2020, he accosted a slew of strangers in Alameda County.
Per the Berkeley Scanner:
[Brandon] told a man sitting at a Durant Avenue parklet that he “wanted to light someone on fire,” saying, “If I don’t get to see my family tonight, someone else doesn’t get to see their family tonight. And I choose you.”
The man testified (in court) that he had been sitting…outside Artichoke Basille’s Pizza…when he noticed [Brandon] bothering some students nearby.
The contents of a person’s hands occasionally indicate avoidance is well-advised…
[Brandon] walked up to the man while holding a can of WD-40 in one hand and a lighter in the other, he testified.
At some point, [Brandon] began chasing the man down Durant and sprayed him with WD-40, according to testimony.
From there, reportedly, Brandon chemically coated a customer in line at Taco Bell Cantina. The recipient skedaddled before a pyro party could get lit. At the Feng Cha Tea House, however, a couple of UC Berkeley students lacked such luck.
[Brandon] sprayed…them with WD-40 and used a lighter to ignite the gas, creating a massive fireball, witnesses said.
But don’t take their word for it:
The students’ friends subsequently scuffled with Brandon in the street. But the flaming felon was packing more than firepower:
During the fight, according to testimony, [he] first pulled out a knife and then pulled out a hatchet.
As stated in court papers, he was “in possession of matches, two lighters, clothing that smelled of gasoline, a can of WD-40, and four glass bottles filled with gasoline subsequently identified as Molotov cocktails.”
Fortunately for the accused, a deft defense was offered. Per his attorney, Brandon had been experiencing “a very dark time, a very bad time.” That potent argument ostensibly won the room.
There had also been an earlier incident, to which Brandon alluded amid his WD-40 spree:
[P]olice said he attacked his (school teacher) wife (on September 1st), striking her repeatedly with a pistol and punching her in the face. He then fled the scene, leaving her with an open head wound…
…
[Brandon] had agreed to bring over groceries but showed up empty-handed, she said. The two were still married, with an 11-year-old daughter, but did not live together.
[He]…accused her, out of the blue, of being a prostitute, she said. … The woman said [he] became irate when she laughed. He insisted she was “in a prostitution ring” with two of her friends.
He must not have been carrying his canister of combustion…
The woman testified that [Brandon]…choked her and pushed her against a wall on the porch, which was near their daughter’s bedroom. …
…
Then he punched her in the face and told her to “shut up” over and over as she repeated “Oh my God,” she said.
Enter an altogether different kind of heat:
Then [he] pulled out [a] gun…and pointed it at her face, just two inches away. The black Glock had an Air Force logo on it and was [his] favorite gun, she said.
Due to a 1999 federal bank robbery conviction, he wasn’t legally allowed to possess a pistol.
Continuing:
[He] struck her twice in the head, she said, splitting open her scalp.
Brandon, who worked as an EMT after being honorably discharged, was described by his lawyer as suffering from PTSD. His time in the service had also caused his substance abuse.
It seems that was an excellent explanation, as he secured a plea deal. Brandon entered no-contest to the following:
- Assault with a deadly weapon
- Possession of a destructive device
- Three counts of assault with caustic chemicals
- Assault with a firearm
- Carrying a loaded firearm (concerning the domestic violence case)
All other charges were dropped.
A 10-year protective order was set for his wife and daughter. Additionally, the judge issued stay-away orders related to nine other people across Oakland and Berkeley.
Sentencing would be postponed for two years, Judge (James) Cramer explained, with the cases to be dismissed at that time upon successful completion of [a “diversion program”].
Forty-nine-year-old Brandon is no longer in custody, but don’t get it twisted — leniency won’t be his:
In closing remarks, the judge also observed that the court’s referral to the diversion program was not in itself a guarantee: If [Brandon] was ultimately not accepted into treatment, “I’ll rip all these papers up and we’ll be back at square one,” Cramer said from the bench.
On June 2nd, he’s required to appear in Veterans Treatment Court. From the website:
This court accepts veterans with misdemeanors or felonies, pre- or post-plea. Veterans in this program are dealing with PTSD, alcoholism, military sexual trauma and other issues. This program connects veterans with the benefits they have earned in service to our country. This program helps veterans change their lives and gain legal relief.
There was a time when setting people ablaze was so frowned-upon as to produce a prison sentence. These days, we’re a more sensitive society — at least toward perpetrators whose propellants are partnered with PTSD. Will Brandon’s story serve as a cautionary tale, convincing would-be criminals not to set strangers on fire or critically assault school teachers? We can hope — with any luck, they’re all deathly afraid of diversion programs.