Oakland: Man sentenced to more than 400 years in freeway shootout with CHP (in plot against ACLU)

[alp227]

Source: Oakland Tribune

OAKLAND -- A Tuolumne County man whose 2010 plan to kill leaders of liberal San Francisco organizations was thwarted by a traffic stop was sentenced Thursday to more than 400 years in prison for shooting at CHP officers on an Oakland highway.

Byron Williams, 48, continued to contend at his sentencing that it was the California Highway Patrol, and not him, who fired first in the midnight July 17, 2010, gunbattle in which more than 200 rounds were fired on Interstate 580 near Oakland's Lake Merritt area.

He said "political powers" controlling the government, false statements by the officers involved, and an inattentive jury led him to be convicted last month of four counts of attempted murder on California Highway Patrol officers and gun charges.

...

According to trial testimony, Williams became angry over the state of America while watching Fox News and hatched a plan to "spark a revolution" by killing executives at the Tides Foundation, or alternatively staff at the ACLU or California legislators. Armed with a list of 11 names, a bulletproof vest, three firearms and ammunition, he drove his mother's truck to the Bay Area. After being stopped near the Harrison Street ramp by CHP Officers Vincent Herrick and Marcus Holden for speeding and weaving, he pulled a gun on Herrick and sparked the 20-minute gunbattle that ended with him surrendering after being shot four times. Of the more than 10 officers in the shootout, Officer Todd Owen was injured in the leg by shrapnel and Officer Ty Franklin was hit in the eye by shattered glass.

Read more: http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_25487528/oakland-man-sentenced-more-than-400-years-freeway

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More resources about Williams the Progressive Hunter:

Media Matters article by John Hamilton about Williams and his interest in right wing media, based on jailhouse interviews with Williams

Democracy Now interview with Hamilton from Oct. 12, 2010

Wikipedia: 2010 Oakland freeway shootout

Dana Milbank column from Aug. 1, 2010: Glenn Beck and the Oakland shooter

May America's Breivik rot.

[freshwest]

1. Good. The purveyors of hate won't listen, but we can stop the actors of stochastic terrorism. n/t

[Spitfire of ATJ]

2. Beck and Billo should both be in jail for inciting acts of terrorism.

[blkmusclmachine]

3. 400 years. That's a bit silly, yes? Just sentence him to "life imprisonment w/o parole." Geez.

[delrem]

4. The guy doesn't seem of sound mind. nt

[gerogie2]

5. Convicted by a Jury & No Death Penalty

Most likely he will never have an successful appeal and very few orgs will likely take up his appeals any way.

[Thor_MN]

6. 400 years for attempted murder, yet people walk for actual murder.

Apparently shooting AT LEOs will get you a stiffer sentence than shooting and killing someone.

[Paladin]

7. Glad to hear it. (nt)

[Jesus Malverde]

8. A very dangerous terrorist

Another one, that wasn't caught by the NSA.

Thank goodness his plan failed before he could get started.

He should be in federal and not state prison.

[Eleanors38]

9. Another shipment to Level 3, Dock 5 of the warehouse.

[AverageJoe90]

10. We've been rather lucky so far.....glad this douche is now rotting in prison.

Only question is, how long could it be before one of these wackos finally *does* manage to carry out a successful attack somewhere?