Police arrested a man on suspicion of murder after a driver plowed into crowds Saturday 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 comment Sunday.
Authorities said another person was critically injured. Two others were taken to hospitals in serious condition and eight suffered less serious injuries.
It was not immediately clear how fast the car 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.
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