Hit-and-run spree in San Francisco
 

with 14 injured, some seriously.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...AGAEKRCO55.DTL

I heard about it when KGO radio broke in during the regular programs.

Pretty sad thing to happen in a city that relies heavily on tourism.
((6))ell, pretty sad anywhere

Wow that is awful :-( what is happening to this crazy world!!!

The last I had heard 9 were injured Faina. 14 now plus one death in Freemont. I didn't post as a few posters get so "upset" about nontravel issues that are posted on Fodors.

I think this horrible and tragic incident is an example that bad things can happen anywhere. Prayers that everyone will recover without any lingering effects. And to think that I just recently warned from friends coming from Australia that will be visiting SF to be careful when crossing streets in SF due to so many pedestrian accidents. This incidents goes way beyond what anyone could imagine.

We are here in San Francisco right now for a wedding, and it has been just awful news. Everyone here is just horrified and feel so sad for the victims and their families. One ray of hope through this sensless tragedy, is there is such a heightend sense of love and concern.

Faina, thanks for posting this. What a horrible story. It is so hard to make sense of some of things that happen these days. I hope everyone injured has a fast recovery-my prayers are with the victims and their families.

Thanks Faina for your courage of posting it, it's the #1 topic around the water cooler, hope it doesn't affect tourism. Our thoughts are with all who are suffering from this horrendous incident. We can't make sense of it but we can offer kindness. I stopped to give some tourists directions this morning.

Subsequent reports make this guy sound like he suffers from schizophrenia and was in a major psychotic episode, and off his meds.

Lovely combination.

I don't see how this could impact tourism-- this could happen anywhere.

That make sense. Epidsode like this always seem to be people who are either mentally ill - or very elderly and no longer in control of their car.

I am not buying that "mentally ill" or "random act" theories.

He deliberatly drove up to San Francisco after killing somebody in Fremont. He new well where he is going.

He didn't move on a sidewalk anywhere at random - only at the corner of California @ Presidio. The Jewish Community Center is there.

This was yesterday in the SFgate article. Today it's all "random". They're preparing a cusion for his soft landing.

nytraveler: yes, a few years ago an elder guy in Santa Monica, CA lost control and ploughed into a farmer's market, DD ran outside to help.

Shanghainese: I'm just about to head off to lunch, and will walk right through that Farmer's Market in the next 20 minutes. They have police cars stationed as barricades to prevent that happening again.

Faina: No one is saying it wasn't a deliberate act. However, that doesn't say that the driver wasn't suffering from a psychotic episode as a result of schizophrenia.

Omeed Aziz Popal?
Is that Sweedish? :-?

Candice DeLong, former FBI profiler on local SF KGO radio now explaining profiling and psyche episodes. :-O

All long-time Fodor's posters don't need explanations for psycho... right, Kal? :))

There was a woman that did that in Reno on Thanksgiving day..late 70's I think it was. Drove right up on the sidwalk and killed several people. She was nuttier than a fruitcake BUT did in fact get the death penalty. She was never executed and died in prison several years ago. Hope they keep this guy from hurting anyone else.

F'2,
8-} 8-}

creffy,
I remember that sad day well.:'(

maybe he was hearing-impaired, using a Mapquest map, looking for a mall, took a wrong turn into an Asian speaking military base and got frazzled. It is a tragedy though.

I just saw this thread. Yipes!

It does sound deliberate. You know a good argument can be made for all murderers being psychotic. Not by me, though.

And I thought the guy shooting cars from the Torrence Ave. I-80 bridge was bad. They got one and now they say there's still a BB gun wannabe doing the same thing.

What a role to aspire to for anyone!!

I sure hope they catch this guy in SF before he ruins any more lives.

They caught that SF murderer the same day! A bystander managed to get the license plate number. When he crashed the car, he ran into Walgreens (pharmacy) where he was apprehended.