Byron Williams, that Tuolumne County right-wing lunatic who spent a lot of time watching Glenn Beck and decided to head to SF to shoot up the ACLU, pleaded not guilty in Alameda County court yesterday to charges of premeditated attempted murder of a peace officer.

Williams suited himself up in body armor and drove 130 miles on July 17, only to be pulled over on I-580 in Oakland just before reaching the Bay Bridge. Determined not to be arrested, Williams then engaged in a 12-minute shootout with CHP officers that ultimately ended in his surrender and the shutdown of that freeway for the better part of a day.

Williams is charged with four counts of attempted murder of a peace officer, three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of being in possession of ammunition (you'll recall those guns he had with him were from his mom's gun cabinet, because she was stocking up for the coming "revolution"). We're not really sure how the not guilty plea is going to get him anywhere, especially because, well, there were so many witnesses and Williams himself told officers in the hospital that he was determined to kill them. Also, isn't anyone going to charge him with conspiracy to commit murder with the whole ACLU and Tides Foundation thing? He'll be back in court Sept. 23 for a pre-trial hearing.