On June 28, 2023, an unsuspecting senior citizen in Berkeley, California, encountered the unexpected and life-threatening when a stranger set him on fire in an unprovoked act of violence. The Alameda County district attorney's office charged 24-year-old Bradley Marcrum with attempted murder, mayhem, and elder abuse due to his disturbing actions that critically injured 68-year-old William Wilson, according to a tweet by KTVU reporter Henry Lee.
This heinous crime occurred at the intersection of University Avenue and Bonar Street in Berkeley. Witnesses reported hearing arguments shortly before the attack. Marcrum then fled the scene after dousing the senior citizen with gasoline and igniting the flames that would send Wilson to the hospital in critical condition, per a Berkeley Scanner article.
The Berkeley police detectives were hard at work cracking the case and promptly arrested Marcrum on Wednesday morning during a warrant operation, despite facing challenges in obtaining details about the arrest. The accused is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
Though violence is no stranger to Marcrum's history, as he was previously out on bail after an arrest by the Berkeley Police. He was charged by the Alameda County DA for brandishing a metal ski pole and chasing a man who intervened in a neighbor dispute near Francisco & Curtis several months before this horrifying incident.
