Hit And Run Spree In San Francisco
At least 15 people have been injured and one (so far) killed in an intentional hit and run spree in San Francisco. The incident began in the East Bay area and continued into San Francisco proper, lasting approximately 20 minutes. The driver of the SUV swerved onto sidewalks and intentionally ran pedestrians down in crosswalks.
This report identifies the driver as Omeed Aziz Popal of Fremont, California. I am not sure but a Google search indicates the name may be Afghan in origin.
SAN FRANCISCO — As many as 14 people were injured this afternoon by a motorist who drove around San Francisco running them down before he was arrested, authorities said.
Seven of those injured were in critical condition, police and firefighters said.
Authorities have identified the man who was arrested as Omeed Aziz Popal, who has addresses in Ceres (Stanislaus County) and Fremont.
Authorities said they believe Popal was the same driver who ran over and killed a 55-year-old man walking in a bicycle lane in Fremont, at Fremont Boulevard near Ferry Lane, just after noon. That crash scene is just blocks from Popal's Fremont address, where he had most recently been living.
Popal was arrested at a Walgreens at Spruce and California streets.
In San Francisco, the attacks began around 1 p.m., but it was unclear in what order:
• Two people, one of them a child, were critically injured around by a sport-utility vehicle on the 3500 block of California Street in Laurel Heights.
• Three people were hit at California and Fillmore streets. Witnesses said they included a man with a broken hip and a woman with a gashed head.
• Two people were seriously hurt at Bush and Pierce streets and one person was seriously injured at Bush and Buchanan streets, police said. One person suffered minor injuries in an incident at 1850 Fillmore Street.
• Two other people suffered minor injuries when they were hit at Pine and Divisadero streets, and another two were hit and suffered minor injuries at Divisadero and Bush Street.
"It was like 'Death Race 2000,' " firefighter Danny Bright said at California and Fillmore streets, as an ambulance stood nearby. "Guys were walking down the sidewalk and the guy just came up and ran them over. The guy went crazy.''
We have a serious problem and people better wake the hell up.
UPDATE: First mention of this by the AP appears at about 8 pm CDT.
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Alabama Liberation Front — Wednesday, 30 August , 2006 @ 2:27 am
By AnticitizenOne, Wednesday, 30 August , 2006 @ 8:34 am
I diagnose a case of Koran poisoning causing its characteristic effect of violence.