l*****7
发帖数: 8463 | 1 Speeding his car into the crowd after surveying the Venice beach leisurely
scene
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/04/venice-beach-crash-vid
Venice Beach Crash Video Shows Accident That Killed 1, Injured 11
By TAMI ABDOLLAH and ANDREW DALTON 08/04/13 02:20 PM ET EDT AP
LOS ANGELES — Police arrested a man on suspicion of murder after a driver
plowed into crowds at the Venice Beach boardwalk, a seemingly intentional
hit-and-run that killed an Italian woman on her honeymoon and injured 11
others.
Nathan Louis Campbell, 38, of Los Angeles, was arrested after he walked into
a police station in neighboring Santa Monica about two hours after the
incident and told police that he was involved.
Campbell remained jailed Sunday on $1 million bail.
Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese declined to discuss a motive but said there was
no indication that the attack was a terrorist act or that anyone else was
involved.
Security video taken at the popular tourist site showed a man parking a
black car, stepping out and surveying the leisurely scene for several
minutes before getting back into the vehicle and speeding into the crowd.
Hundreds of people who had been walking or sitting at cafes raced to get out
of the way before the vehicle sped out of sight.
Witnesses reported a horrifying aftermath.
People were " stumbling around, blood dripping down their legs, looking
confused not knowing what had happened, people screaming," said Louisa Hodge
, who described "blocks and blocks of people just strewn across the sidewalk
."
The Italian woman was identified as Alice Gruppioni, 32. Her family in
Bologna told the Italian news agency LaPresse that she had been on her
honeymoon after a July 20 wedding.
Gruppioni worked as a manager for the family business Sira group, which
makes radiators. Her father, Valerio Gruppioni, runs the company and was
formerly president of the Bologna soccer team, according to LaPresse.
The family declined to speak to The Associated Press on Sunday.
Authorities said another person was critically injured. Two others were
taken to hospitals in serious condition and eight suffered less serious
injuries.
The crash was not far from where an elderly driver sped through an open-air
farmer's market in Santa Monica in 2003, killing 10 people and injuring more
than 70 others.
Investigators said George Weller, who was 86 at the time, mistakenly stepped
on the gas instead of the brake and then panicked. He was doing up to 60
mph when he plowed through the market. Weller was convicted of 10 counts of
vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and was sentenced to probation.
It was not immediately clear how fast the car in Saturday's crash was going.
According to security video and witness accounts, the driver parked next to
the Cadillac Hotel and twice walked out to the boardwalk before getting into
the Dodge Avenger and accelerating, swerving around yellow poles meant to
prevent cars from getting into the pedestrian-only area and onto the
boardwalk.
"I heard a big `boom, boom,' like the sound of someone going up and down the
curb, it was super loud," said Alex Hagan, 22, who was working the desk at
the Cadillac Hotel and watched the scene unfold from the start.
The driver knocked over two mannequins and then started hitting people,
swerving from side to side and often running straight into them.
Video showed the car hitting at least three vendors who were sitting at
their sales booths.
Two women who appeared to be in their 60s were also struck, Hagan said.
Many people ran after the car, screaming and cursing as it sped away, he
said.
Golestan Alipour, bartender at Candle Cafe & Grill, said the large sedan
carefully maneuvered between a storefront and metal poles that had been
erected to prevent anyone from driving onto the boardwalk. A free-standing
ATM barely slowed his race toward the crowds.
"The restaurant was full. Everybody ran," Alipour said.
The car went on for several blocks, knocking down a fortune teller who had a
table, a couple selling jewelry and a woman who does tattooing, Alipour
said.
Authorities at the scene searched for evidence across the boardwalk, which
is in a part of Los Angeles known for eccentricities. The 1.5-mile ribbon of
asphalt that runs along the sand a few hundred yards from the ocean is home
to galleries, restaurants, tattoo shops, skateboard parks and the famous
outdoor weight room known as Muscle Beach. It can draw as many as 150,000
people on summer weekends.
Police found a car nearby that they believe belonged to the driver, he said.
Hodge said she and her friend, Ashley Taylor, had made note of the large
number of people walking along the seaside.
"It was a really nice day. There were tons of people out. In fact, we were
talking about how packed it was, because we were having a hard time getting
through all the people," Hodge said.
The two women stopped to buy ice cream and a couple of hats, which may have
saved their lives. They stepped out of a store to see the aftermath, as
emergency crews arrived and started putting victims on tarps.
Hodge saw one man and woman lying next to each other, wearing head braces,
barely able to move.
"They were just laying next to each other and grasping hands," Hodge said, "
just a man and a woman holding hands."
___
Associated Press writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report. |
|
