The FBI takes part in an investigation after the car struck 8 pedestrians in California

SUNNYVALE, California

The FBI is helping California authorities investigate a motorist who appears to have deliberately sneaked a group of people, wounding eight, the authorities said Wednesday.

Prentice Danner, spokeswoman for the FBI's San Francisco office, said the Sunnyvale Police Department was the lead agency in the investigation, but that the office would involve more "s & # 39, it was determined that a federal crime had been committed ".

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

He added that the ministry had informed the FBI after the accident occurred Tuesday night in the city about 80 km south of San Francisco, "because we are careful to examine all possible motives and angles."

Witnesses told investigators that the motorist was speeding up and heading straight for pedestrians without trying to get away or stop the car before hitting them, said Choi.

Some witness statements "indicate that the driver did not attempt to avoid the pedestrians who were on the crosswalk and that he did not attempt to turn around, to leave or to brake, "he said.

"People are walking to these restaurants, grocery stores, rather than in their cars," Shanelle Fioretti, a Sunnyvale resident, told KGO-TV about the area.

Some of the eight injured, including a 13-year-old girl, were in a corner or on the pedestrian crossing when the car hit them before crashing into a tree, Choi said. The pedestrian crossing remained closed on Wednesday as authorities investigated.

The victims were taken to the hospital after the accident near a shopping mall in Sunnyvale, said Choi.

An update of their terms was expected later Wednesday.