The FBI San Francisco Field Office is conducting the investigation.
RELATED: Sunnyvale crash suspect appears in court; may have targeted victims he believed were Muslim
The FBI released a statement saying, "The FBI San Francisco Field Office has opened a federal hate crime investigation into the incident that occurred in Sunnyvale on April 23, 2019. As this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to comment further at this time."
Isaiah Peoples, 34, is charged with eight counts of attempted murder. The crash on El Camino Real left a 13-year-old girl in critical condition and injured seven others.
Police said they found evidence that Peoples may have targeted the victims based on their race and belief they were Muslim.
He's expected back in court May 16.