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Man Sentenced After Pleading Guilty To Poisoning 8 Homeless At Southern California Beach

(NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

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A man who pled guilty to poisoning eight homeless people at a Southern California beach and videotaped their reactions was sentenced Friday to four years of jail time in a state prison.

William Cable, 38, of San Andreas pleaded guilty to poisoning, injuring an elderly person, and other felony and misdemeanor charges, a statement from the Orange County district attorney’s office said, according to the Associated Press.

Cable was arrested in May 2020, after being accused of feeding food laced with oleoresin capsicum, the active ingredient in pepper spray, to eight people and filming them as they became ill, BBC reported.

Cable told his victims they were partaking in a “spicy food challenge,” incentivizing their participation with beer, the report says. The homeless reportedly were not aware that the food contained the dangerous element. (RELATED: Parents Outraged Homeless Encampments Have Popped Up Around Seattle Schools)

Upon consumption of the tainted food, Cable’s victims suffered from reactions including seizure-like symptoms, shortness of breath and vomiting, BBC reported.

“These human beings were preyed upon because they are vulnerable,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said following Cable’s arrest, according to BBC. “They were exploited and poisoned as part of a twisted form of entertainment, and their pain was recorded so that it could be relived by their attacker over and over again.”

Cable could have faced more than 19 years of imprisonment had he been convicted at trial, the AP reported.