Police Believe Driver Intentionally Plowed Into 8 Pedestrians

Including a 13-year-old child in Sunnyvale, Calif.
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 24, 2019 11:10 AM CDT
Police Believe Driver Intentionally Plowed Into 8 Pedestrians
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/Brian Sevald)

As pedestrians walked on a busy sidewalk in Sunnyvale, Calif., Tuesday night, a car plowed into the crowd—its driver making no apparent attempt to slow down or avoid hitting people, police say. Eight pedestrians were struck, including a 13-year-old, and some of the victims were in serious condition. The suspect, an adult male, was taken into custody after crashing into a tree. Police say they believe it was an isolated incident, but that it appears to have been intentional, NBC News reports. They say the driver appears to have been accelerating, and that he may have intentionally turned into the group, targeting them, ABC7 News reports. Police aren't yet speculating on a motive or whether there might be any relation to terrorism.

The incident took place at an intersection near a number of restaurants and other businesses in the Bay Area city, and victims' belongings and bicycles were strewn along the path the car took, NBC Bay Area reports. Some victims were in the crosswalk at the time, per CBS San Francisco. There are homes in the area, too, and "people are just walking to get to these restaurants and food places and grocery stores, rather than getting in their car and driving there," a local tells ABC7 of the intersection. The FBI is assisting with the investigation. "Should it be determined that a federal crime was committed, we will become more involved," the bureau says in a statement. (Before a van attack in Toronto, rental staff laughed as the suspect drove away.)

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