SAN FRANCICSO—On Thursday, May 21, a trial by jury found Viengphet Sasone, 48, guilty of being in possession of an incendiary device (California Penal Code 453(a)) after a garbage can fire at the Transbay Terminal.
The incident occurred on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at about 4:30 a.m. Sasone set bedding on fire on top of a garbage can under an escalator in the MUNI plaza at the Transbay Terminal.
A security guard saw Sasone by the fire, alerting his colleague, who put out the fire with a fire extinguisher. Officers from the San Francisco Police Department arrived on the scene and apprehended Sasone, who was in possession of an orange lighter at the time of his arrest.
Assistant District Attorney Kirk Earl prosecuted the case with help from paralegal Raquel Paz Aleman and IT support from Ada Yu and Leland Chan. Prosecutors worked in collaboration with the San Francisco Police Department.
