February 11, 2009 6:04 PM
- Text
Hit-And-Run Rampage Stuns San Fran
(CBS/AP)
The driver in a bloody hit-and-run spree that killed one man and injured 14 people was mentally unstable and feeling stress from a recent arranged marriage, according to relatives.
Omeed Azeez Popal, whose family is from Afghanistan, was taken into custody Tuesday following a rampage that terrorized pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. Authorities believe it began more than an hour earlier when his black Honda Pilot fatally struck a man in the East Bay area.
"He drove on sidewalks, streets, hit people on crosswalks. It runs the gamut," said police spokesman Sgt. Neville Gittens.
Popal, 29, was arrested on suspicion of 14 counts of attempted murder and a charge of willful flight after causing serious injury or death, Gittens said.
Popal worked as an auto mechanic and helped out his father selling home furnishings at flea markets.
A woman who identified herself as Popal's cousin said he had been having recurring nightmares about someone coming to kill him and had been taking medication.
"He didn't like (that) the devil come all the time, close to him, and he want to kill him," Zargona Ramish toldKCBS Radio's Margie Shafter (audio). "He said he did him something, very bad things, and he did him several times the same thing, and so he was scared so much from everything."
Another cousin, Hamid Nekrawesh, said a recent arranged marriage in Afghanistan, may have contributed to Popal's problems.
"The kid grew up here. He wasn't used to the lifestyle in Afghanistan. I'm sure that put a lot of pressure on him," Nekrawesh said.
The spree began around noon in Fremont, in the East Bay, where an unidentified man walking along the side of the road was hit by a black SUV. He was thrown into a field and pronounced dead at the scene, Sgt. Chris Mazzone of the Fremont police said.
Witnesses said the driver did not slow down.
The driver then crossed the bay into San Francisco, where he injured at least 14 people in various locations around the city before police boxed him in with their cruisers around 1 p.m.
"He tried to come up on the sidewalk and hit us," Emanuel Gowan told CBS station KPIX.
"He was aiming for you?"
"Oh, yes, definitely, like he was on a power trip or something. I don't know what his problem was but he was trying to run everybody down," Gowan said. "He was mad at somebody."
Police finally caught up with the driver, boxing him in, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone. The smashed windshield and crumpled fender were evidence of a rage, but the driver was strangely quiet.
"He looked very calm, he looked very subdued, he was handcuffed," said witness Mary Edwards. "He looked as if he was just walking to work. He had no emotions."
The victims were taken to three area hospitals. One was in critical condition at San Francisco General, where Mayor Gavin Newsom met with victims and their families.
"These are the things, these are so senseless. They're utterly inexplicable. They're impossible to rationalize," Newsom said afterward. "The fact that this individual felt compelled for whatever reason to be determined to do what he did is beyond imagination."
Some of the injured were pedestrians and some were motorists. Victims' ages ranged from 18 to 84, authorities said.
Neighbors said Popal was living with his parents in Fremont, home to the nation's largest Afghan community.
No weapons were found on the suspect, though the car had not been searched, Gittens said. There was no information on whether drugs or alcohol were involved, and it was unclear how fast he was driving, he said.
"It was very chaotic," he said. "Fortunately, we were able to take him into custody."
Omeed Azeez Popal, whose family is from Afghanistan, was taken into custody Tuesday following a rampage that terrorized pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. Authorities believe it began more than an hour earlier when his black Honda Pilot fatally struck a man in the East Bay area.
"He drove on sidewalks, streets, hit people on crosswalks. It runs the gamut," said police spokesman Sgt. Neville Gittens.
Popal, 29, was arrested on suspicion of 14 counts of attempted murder and a charge of willful flight after causing serious injury or death, Gittens said.
Popal worked as an auto mechanic and helped out his father selling home furnishings at flea markets.
A woman who identified herself as Popal's cousin said he had been having recurring nightmares about someone coming to kill him and had been taking medication.
"He didn't like (that) the devil come all the time, close to him, and he want to kill him," Zargona Ramish told
Another cousin, Hamid Nekrawesh, said a recent arranged marriage in Afghanistan, may have contributed to Popal's problems.
"The kid grew up here. He wasn't used to the lifestyle in Afghanistan. I'm sure that put a lot of pressure on him," Nekrawesh said.
The spree began around noon in Fremont, in the East Bay, where an unidentified man walking along the side of the road was hit by a black SUV. He was thrown into a field and pronounced dead at the scene, Sgt. Chris Mazzone of the Fremont police said.
Witnesses said the driver did not slow down.
The driver then crossed the bay into San Francisco, where he injured at least 14 people in various locations around the city before police boxed him in with their cruisers around 1 p.m.
"He tried to come up on the sidewalk and hit us," Emanuel Gowan told CBS station KPIX.
"He was aiming for you?"
"Oh, yes, definitely, like he was on a power trip or something. I don't know what his problem was but he was trying to run everybody down," Gowan said. "He was mad at somebody."
Police finally caught up with the driver, boxing him in, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone. The smashed windshield and crumpled fender were evidence of a rage, but the driver was strangely quiet.
"He looked very calm, he looked very subdued, he was handcuffed," said witness Mary Edwards. "He looked as if he was just walking to work. He had no emotions."
The victims were taken to three area hospitals. One was in critical condition at San Francisco General, where Mayor Gavin Newsom met with victims and their families.
"These are the things, these are so senseless. They're utterly inexplicable. They're impossible to rationalize," Newsom said afterward. "The fact that this individual felt compelled for whatever reason to be determined to do what he did is beyond imagination."
Some of the injured were pedestrians and some were motorists. Victims' ages ranged from 18 to 84, authorities said.
Neighbors said Popal was living with his parents in Fremont, home to the nation's largest Afghan community.
No weapons were found on the suspect, though the car had not been searched, Gittens said. There was no information on whether drugs or alcohol were involved, and it was unclear how fast he was driving, he said.
"It was very chaotic," he said. "Fortunately, we were able to take him into custody."
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