Crash that injured pedestrians in California was 'intentional act,' police say

Police are recommending the driver be charged with eight counts of attempted murder.</s>The FBI says it is assisting in the investigation after a driver crashed into eight pedestrians in Northern California.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — The FBI says it is assisting in the investigation after a driver crashed into eight pedestrians in Northern California.</s>SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — The FBI says it is assisting in the investigation after a driver crashed into eight pedestrians in Northern California.</s>By The Associated Press

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — The FBI says it is assisting in the investigation after a driver crashed into eight pedestrians in Northern California.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — The FBI says it is assisting in the investigation after a driver crashed into eight pedestrians in Northern California.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>The Latest: FBI assisting after car plows into pedestrians

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on eight people injured in Northern California after a car plows into them (all times local):

The FBI says it's assisting California officials in the investigation of a motorist who appeared to deliberately plow into a group of people, injuring eight.

Prentice Danner, a spokesman for the FBI's field office in San Francisco, says the Sunnyvale Police Department is the lead agency in the investigation. But Danner says that if it is determined a federal crime was committed, the bureau will become more involved.

Sunnyvale Police Cpt. Jim Choi says the driver of the car was arrested and has been identified but that his name is not being made public to avoid compromising the investigation.

Authorities in Northern California say a man was arrested after he appeared to deliberately plow into a group of people, injuring eight, but that a motive is still under investigation.

Sunnyvale Police Cpt. Jim Choi tells KPIX-TV that witnesses told investigators the motorists was speeding and drove directly toward the pedestrians without trying to veer away or stop the car before striking the pedestrians Tuesday night.

Choi says some of the eight people injured were at a corner or on the crosswalk and that officials have to indication the motorists tried to avoid them. The department says the crosswalk remains closed Wednesday as officials investigate.

He says officials are looking into whether the driver was having a medical emergency or purposely hit the pedestrians.

Authorities say eight people have been injured after a motorist appeared to deliberately plow into them in Sunnyvale.

The Bay Area city's Department of Public Safety says it happened Tuesday evening.

Eight people were taken to the hospital, including a 13-year-old boy.

There's no word on their condition or a motive for the apparent attack.

The driver was taken into custody after the car smashed into a tree.

KGO-TV reports that witnesses say the man apparently made no effort to stop before hitting the pedestrians.</s>SUNNYVALE, Calif. — A driver hit a group of pedestrians on a sidewalk in Northern California, leaving eight people injured in what appears to be an “intentional act,” authorities said.

The incident happened Tuesday evening in Sunnyvale. Police were called to the scene about 6:40 p.m., said Capt. Jim Choi of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety.

A preliminary investigation shows the pedestrians were on the sidewalk when the black sedan drove into them, he said, describing it as an “intentional act.”

Witnesses told police there were no signs that the car attempted to slow down and there was no evidence of braking at the scene, he said. The car eventually crashed into a tree.

A man is in custody and police have contacted the FBI about the driver, according to Choi, who said investigators are considering “all possibilities” in terms of a motive.

The FBI is assisting local law enforcement in the investigation, according to an agency spokesperson. “Should it be determined that a federal crime was committed, we will become more involved.”

All eight patients are at a local hospital, with several suffering from serious injuries, he said. The youngest victim is 13. It’s unclear if the driver knew any of them.

The incident is believed to be isolated, Choi said. Police have not identified the driver or the victims.

Sunnyvale is about 40 miles from San Francisco.</s>Eight people have been injured, including a 13-year-old, after a car appeared to drive deliberately into pedestrians near a junction in California.

Police said they believe the incident may have been intentional but do not have confirmation of any motive.

The incident happened around 7pm local time when a black car driven by an unidentified man drove across a junction, striking bystanders before crashing into a tree.

The man has been taken into custody by police.

"The driver did not break, slow down, or try to swerve," captain Jim Choi of Sunnyvale Police told NBC News.</s>A driver hit a group of pedestrians on a sidewalk in Northern California, leaving eight people injured in what appears to have been an "intentional act," authorities said.

The incident happened Tuesday evening in Sunnyvale. Police were called to the scene about 6:40 p.m., said Capt. Jim Choi of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety.

A preliminary investigation shows the pedestrians were on the sidewalk when the black sedan drove into them, he said, describing what happened as an "intentional act."

Witnesses told police there were no signs that the car attempted to slow down and there was no evidence of braking at the scene, he said. The car eventually crashed into a tree.

"People are just walking to get to these restaurants and food places and grocery stores, rather than getting in their car and driving there," Shanelle Fioretti told CNN affiliate KGO-TV, describing the area at the time.

A man is in custody and police have contacted the FBI about the driver, according to Choi, who said investigators are considering "all possibilities" in terms of a motive.

The FBI is assisting local law enforcement in the investigation, according to an agency spokesperson. "Should it be determined that a federal crime was committed, we will become more involved."

Authorities have not yet identified a nexus to terrorism and the investigation is trending away from that conclusion, a law enforcement official familiar with the incident told CNN Wednesday.

All eight patients are at a local hospital, with several suffering from serious injuries, he said. The youngest victim is 13. It's unclear if the driver knew any of them.

The incident is believed to be isolated, Choi said. Police have not identified the driver or the victims.

Sunnyvale is about 40 miles from San Francisco.

CNN's Ray Sanchez, Josh Campbell and Nick Watt contributed to this report.</s>SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) - The FBI says it is assisting in the investigation after a driver crashed into eight pedestrians in Northern California.

The Washington Times welcomes your comments on Spot.im, our third-party provider. Please read our The Washington Times welcomes your comments on Spot.im, our third-party provider. Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.</s>The FBI is assisting California officials in the investigation of a motorist who appeared to deliberately plow into a group of people, injuring eight, authorities said Wednesday.

Prentice Danner, a spokesman for the FBI’s field office in San Francisco, said the Sunnyvale Police Department is the lead agency in the investigation but that the bureau will become more involved “if it is determined a federal crime was committed.”

Sunnyvale Police Cpt. Jim Choi said the driver of the car was arrested and has been identified but that his name is not being made public to avoid compromising the investigation. He said the driver was not injured.

He said the department notified the FBI after the Tuesday evening crash because “we are making sure we are looking at all the possible motives and angles.”

Witnesses told investigators the motorist was speeding and drove directly toward the pedestrians without trying to veer away or stop the car before striking them, Choi said.

Some of the witness statements “show that the driver did not try to avoid the pedestrians at the cross walk, and there was no attempt to swerve, drive away or brake,” he said.

“People are just walking to get to these restaurants, food places and grocery stores, rather than getting into their car and driving there,” Sunnyvale resident Shanelle Fioretti told KGO-TV in describing the area.

Some of the eight people injured were at a corner or on the cross walk when the car hit them before smashing into a tree, Choi said. The crosswalk remained closed Wednesday as officials investigate.

A 13-year-old boy and seven others were taken to the hospital Tuesday evening after the crash near a shopping center in Sunnyvale, more than an hour south of San Francisco, Choi said.

An update on their conditions was expected later Wednesday.
Eight pedestrians in Sunnyvale, California, are injured when a car is intentionally driven into them. The driver is arrested after crashing into a tree. The FBI is assisting in the investigation.