California warehouse fire trial limps on after hung jury

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — An emotionally taxing criminal case over the deaths of 36 people trapped inside a San Francisco Bay Area warehouse nearly three years ago will stretch on after a jury acquitted one defendant and deadlocked on the other.

Jurors acquitted Max Harris on Thursday of involuntary manslaughter but said they could not agree on whether to convict or acquit Derick Almena after deliberating over a two-week period.

Almena remains in custody as prosecutors weigh their next steps. His attorney, Tony Serra, has vowed to win at a retrial.

Gasps erupted from family and friends of the victims as the judge declared a mistrial.

The men were accused of filling a warehouse building in Oakland with so much clutter that it trapped people at an electronic music party in December 2016.