Update, 3:30 p.m. Thursday: Oakland police say a 16-year-old boy charged with lighting a fellow bus passenger on fire has told them he committed the attack because he's homophobic.
Alameda County prosecutors say the suspect, Richard Thomas, a student at Oakland High School, will be tried as an adult. He faces charges of aggravated mayhem and felony assault resulting in serious bodily injury in the Monday evening attack on Luke "Sasha" Fleischman, 18, of Berkeley. Fleischman, who was wearing a skirt, had fallen asleep at the rear of a bus traveling through East Oakland when the attack occurred.
Prosecutors said today that Thomas will face hate-crime enhancements on both charges. Fleischman suffered second- and third-degree burns and is being treated in a San Francisco hospital burn unit.
From the Oakland Tribune this afternoon:
Thomas' "violent and senseless criminal conduct resulted in severe and traumatic injuries to a young and entirely innocent victim," said Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley.
"The intentional and callous nature of the crime is shocking and will not be tolerated in our community," O'Malley said. "Our thoughts remain with the victim and the victim's family in wishing for a full recovery from the extensive burns suffered as a result of this crime."
Felony aggravated assault carries a maximum prison sentence of life with the possibility of parole, the sentence for the assault charge is a maximum of eight years in prison, and each of the two hate crime enhancements carries one year each in prison, a spokeswoman for the Alameda County District Attorney said Thursday.
"During (the) suspect interview, the suspect stated he did it because he was homophobic," lead police investigator Officer Anwawn Jones said in the probable cause statement.
Here's our earlier account of the case, from KQED News Associate Berkeleyside:
By Tracey Taylor
Berkeleyside