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SAN DIEGO (AP) – A driver plowed a homeless camp on a sidewalk in downtown San Diego on Monday, killing three people and injuring six others, authorities said.
Craig Voss, 71, was walking through a tunnel under a community college campus when he drove his Volvo station wagon onto the sidewalk shortly after 9 a.m., San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit.
Voss was arrested at the scene. He faces three counts of manslaughter, five counts of grievous bodily harm and a DUI felony, Nisleit said, adding that Voss had a field field sobriety test by a reconnaissance expert. drugs. He did not say or say whether Voss was under the influence of alcohol or any other substance. He said additional charges could come up.
It was not immediately clear if Voss had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
The fatal crash highlights the risks inherent in the homeless population in California, where their tents and tarps not only line the sidewalks of the city center, but are near the ramps where cars speed to the entrance highways.
More than 150,000 people are homeless across the state. The number increased during the coronavirus pandemic that rocked the economy.
Mayor Todd Gloria said most, if not all of the nine people struck were homeless.
“They were there because they felt like they had nowhere to go,” Gloria said. “This accident this morning was not to be so devastating. Let me say it very clearly, a street is not a house. “
Three people died at the scene. Five of the other six injured were taken to hospitals. Two were in critical condition. San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell said the two were “awake, alert and answering questions.”
The mayor, who took office in December, said the encampment had been there for some time. More people on Monday could have made it into the short tunnel under the San Diego City College campus, as the cement bridge provided cover on a rainy day.
On a typical weekday morning, it’s a busy area with students passing by, but classes have been online during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gloria said the city must act now to address its homelessness issue and start by offering shelter on Monday to other homeless people who were in the tunnel and had escaped injuries. A handle accepted. The city also sent mental health professionals to help.
“We want to make sure they didn’t die in vain,” Gloria said of those who were killed.
But he added that the city was facing a shortage of beds in its shelters and he pledged to speak to state and federal officials for more help, calling the current situation “unacceptable.” .
“It is neither human nor safe to continue to allow our homeless neighbors to sleep under bridges, in alleys or in canyons,” he said.
Lisa Brotzman said she was looking out of her tent window just as the car swerved to the right shoulder, “spun out of control” and jumped onto the sidewalk into the tunnel where people were waiting. the rain.
“Someone was shouting, ‘Ahhh! Ahhhh! Brotzman told the San Diego Union-Tribune.. “Two or three people were screaming and screaming. It was scary.”
The driver got out of his car and tried to help people before identifying himself with the police, Nisleit said.
“He was cooperative, (and) didn’t try to run away,” the chief said, correcting previous police reports that he tried to run away.
Ambulances, five fire trucks, a helicopter and more than 60 first responders responded to the scene.
“Our crews obviously found a tragic incident below deck,” said the fire chief.
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