Hit-And-Run Rampage Stuns San Fran

Man Kills 1, Injures 14; Family Says He Thought Devil Was Coming To Kill Him

(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 told KCBS 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."

[jlcurrier]

I am thankful for the CBS news' coverage on the psycho. driver who murdered and terrorized the residents of San Francisco. I hope there will be more questions answered. I would like to know if this guy is an illegal alien and also was he in Afghanistan training with those terrorists.

Thank You,
Jimmie Currier
841 San Luis Rd.
Berkeley, CA 94707

[hili3]

Terror attack.
Guys, as said on the radio and its not hard to see this is a teror attack. and shame on the media for coverign it up, and always not telling us the whole truth just beacuse the media is against the war, and should they show a justification for the war? oh no... they will never justify the war on terror.

[hili3]

This happened yesterday at 1:04 pm, and untill a day later nobody reported on this nore on CNN not MSNCBS nor the local tv stations, this is a shame

[lkward1]

I agree with the comments above has anyone looked into a terror plot on this issue? We are so worried about the skies being taken over what about our own road ways? Something to think about anyway.

[unclesamsson]

Wow !!! Kill us with one our countries greatest love. The automobile .Who would have even guessed this one .Will the streets be safe in small towns now, because almost every adult in the US has the ability to drive a car (almost everyone).The terrors have used automobiles to get their jobs done before , maybe their aim is now squarely focused at the innocent population , and away from the military ,for whom they cant defeat . If this is terrorism , it clearly shows that these durtballs will go to any extreme to rid us off the face of "their" world . Bring on your Jihad . Maybe we need think on their level and send a few crazies of our own to the middle east and rent some cars .

[listen4-2009]

Please join us at listenministries.com as we pray for all of the victims and their recovery, as well as their friends and relatives that are on the edges of their seats anticipating news.

I am astounded at the number of cranks who think this could even possibly be a terrorist plot. This man, Popal, is clearly suffering from mental illness. He was hearing voices and possibly hallucinating, and taking medication for it, but the medication was obviously not working. This is common with people suffering from problems such as schizophrenia.

This event has nothing to do with his Afghani origin. In fact, his cousin says he "grew up here" and may have been reacting to the shock of going to Afghanistan.

Crimes are crimes, and people cannot be allowed to hurt other people, but in this country, we need to have better education about mental illness and find a way to change our legal system to accommodate more than just the rare insanity defense. There is a real difference between people who are criminals and people who are mentally ill to this degree. We need to keep both away from the public, but we should only punish the criminals.

[sofiadroma]

you wrote:

"Maybe we need think on their level and send a few crazies of our own to the middle east and rent some cars .
Posted by UNCLESAMSson at 02:38 PM : Aug 30, 2006"

LOL .. I have a few characters in mind that would be good candidates to send over there ! love that comment!

[cs105]

Why does not anyone writes that this attack was a terror attack? Why does the news (paper and newpaper) has to be so polite? Why don't they just say it like it is? He did admit that he was a terrorist. Whatelse does the news need? Call it a Terror Attack. Stop being so sensitive about the guy, mental break down and mental illness and all the other excuses. Do we have to wait until someone walks into the mall and blow themselves up before we call it a terrorist attack?

[frizzelda]

"If this is terrorism , it clearly shows that these durtballs will go to any extreme...."

If you're going to post idiotic comments, please spell them correctly.

For the record, ITA with squidx.