A Berkeley driver who jumped a University Avenue sidewalk during a 2020 police chase and killed a woman sleeping outside has been sentenced to 18 years in state prison, closing a long and closely watched criminal case. Court filings identify the victim as 58-year-old Bernadette Young Bear, who was sleeping on the sidewalk when the car struck her.
As reported by the Press Democrat, the defendant, 35-year-old Alexander McGee, has already received roughly 11 years of credit for time served and was transferred to state prison in September. Court records reviewed by the paper say the 18-year term resolves the prosecution's cases tied to the fatal crash along with related charges that had been pending.
How The Chase Unfolded
According to testimony and surveillance presented at a preliminary hearing, the incident began when officers heard a woman screaming near Sixth Street and University Avenue and saw a man allegedly hitting a passenger in a parked car, The Berkeley Scanner reported. A UC Berkeley officer moved in to intervene, and the driver took off, with the vehicle jumping the University Avenue sidewalk and striking Young Bear, who had been wrapped in a blanket and described as asleep at the time.
Witnesses and investigators told the court that the car dragged Young Bear, then sped onto the freeway before officers later located the vehicle. The sequence, captured in part on video and reconstructed in testimony, became the backbone of the prosecution's account of the chase.
Arrest And Early Legal Fight
McGee remained on the run for about 10 days before police arrested him outside an Oakland residence, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Prosecutors initially filed a slate of felony charges, including evading police causing death and leaving the scene, and early court filings described evidence recovered from the Nissan involved in the crash.
At the time, authorities publicly warned that McGee was considered armed and dangerous while investigators worked to track him down, a warning that added tension to an already high-profile manhunt.
Sentence, Prior Record And The Prosecution's Case
Prosecutors pointed to McGee's criminal history and what they called a "conscious disregard for human life" in pressing for a lengthy term, according to The Berkeley Scanner. Court records show McGee had prior felony convictions for burglary and domestic violence, which the prosecution highlighted during multiple hearings.
The judge ultimately accepted a disposition that resulted in the 18-year prison sentence announced this week, bringing the criminal case to a formal close even as its fallout continues in the community.
What Comes Next
With the sentence now imposed, McGee will serve the balance of his time in state prison. Jail records and court reporting show he had been held at Santa Rita Jail while the case wound through the system. The Press Democrat notes that the roughly 11-year credit applied to his term comes from custody that dates back to his arrest and subsequent court proceedings.
The case has also revived local debate over police pursuit tactics and the dangers such chases pose to people on city sidewalks, particularly unhoused residents, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Reporting and testimony show that Young Bear, 58, had been wrapped in a blanket and asleep on the sidewalk when the car hit her, a stark detail that has come to symbolize the case's impact on Berkeley.
