On Monday, a driver crossed a homeless camp on the sidewalk in downtown San Diego, killing three people and injuring six more, authorities said. Craig Voss, 71, was driving through a tunnel under a community college campus when he drove his Volvo station to the sidewalk shortly after 9 a.m., said David Nisleit, head of the San Diego police.
Voss was arrested at the scene. He faces three counts of vehicle murder, five counts of causing grievous bodily harm and one count of DUI, Nisleit said, adding that Voss was subjected to a field sobriety test administered by a reconnaissance expert. of drugs. He did not elaborate or identify whether Voss was under the influence of alcohol or any other substance. He said additional charges may come.
It was not immediately known if Voss had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
Mayor Todd Gloria said most, if not all, of the nine people hit were homeless.
“They were there because they felt they had nowhere else to go,” Gloria said. “This morning’s crash doesn’t have to be so devastating. Let me put it very clearly: a street is not a house.”
Three people died at the scene. Five of the other six injured were taken to hospitals. Two were in critical condition. San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell said they were both “awake, alert and answering questions.”
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Ronnie Williams told reporters he was one of the last to be hit by the car, and described the incident as “a nightmare, like a very fast nightmare.” Williams said three of his friends were taken to a hospital.
“The way he was driving down the sidewalk was like he wasn’t taking his foot off the gas until he got to the other side of the street,” Williams said.
The sidewalk had tents. Nisleit said homeless people may have moved under the bridge to get out of the rain just before the car passed over the ground.
“I don’t know if people were sleeping or there were people sitting,” he said, adding that authorities working to get medical help would go on to look for answers to those questions.
The driver got out of his car and tried to help people before identifying himself in front of police, Nisleit said.
“He was cooperative (and) didn’t try to flee,” the chief said, correcting previous police reports that Voss had tried to flee.
Several ambulances, five fire trucks, a helicopter and more than 60 first responders rushed to the scene near San Diego City College, where a typical weekday morning is a crowded area with students on foot. But classes have been online in the middle of nowhere Coronavirus pandemic.
“Our crews obviously encountered a tragic incident under the bridge,” said Colin Stowell, San Diego’s fire chief.
Lisa Brotzman said she was looking out a window of her tent just as the car swerved to her right shoulder, “got out of control” and jumped onto the sidewalk of the tunnel where people were waiting for the rain.
“Someone was yelling,‘ Ahhh! Ahhhh! “Brotzman told The San Diego Union-Tribune.” Two or three people were screaming and shouting. He did it for “.
The fatal crash highlights the risks inherent in the homeless population in California, where homeless shops and tarpaulins line not only the sidewalks of downtown, but are close to ramps where cars speed up as they enter. on the highways. More than 150,000 people are homeless across the state. The number has risen during the pandemic that has worsened the economy.