Sunnyvale Car Crash: Suspect could face 8 attempted murder charges
SUNNYVALE, Calif. (KGO) -- A 13-year-old girl is still in critical condition after a driver plowed into eight pedestrians in Sunnyvale Tuesday night.
Police say it doesn't appear to be terrorism, but they're looking into any possible motive and what the driver may have said after the crash.
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Law enforcement officials believe this was intentional and, so far, they say the suspect hasn't shown any remorse.
The moments of terror left a community shaken. "The driver purposefully sped up, ran into the crosswalk and purposefully tried to hit the pedestrians,"said Sunnyvale DPS Cat. Jim Choi.
There is no motive known so far but it was no accident.
The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety released new information Wednesday about 34-year-old Isaiah Joel Peoples, the Sunnyvale resident accused of intentionally plowing his Toyota Corolla into a crowd crossing Sunnyvale Avenue at El Camino Real Tuesday night. Eight people were injured, including the youngest victim -- a 9-year-old boy.
"We are recommending eight counts of attempted murder based upon evidence we obtained at the scene," Capt. Choi said.
Peoples currently works for a military audit agency. A family member told ABC7 News he previously served in the U.S. Army.
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Legal analysts say prosecutors will look into the suspect's health and mental history as they lay out their case. "People are going to be asking what is the motive? That isn't necessarily going to be what the DA will base its decision on, but the intent factor will be key here," said legal analyst Steven Clark.
The view from SKY7 earlier Wednesday showed detectives serving a search warrant on Peoples' apartment in Sunnyvale. Officers were using an ax to break the unit's sliding glass balcony door to gain entry.
A maintenance worker said he had some interaction with Peoples over the past year but had no reason to believe anything was off. "I never saw this guy having bad behavior on the property, so it surprised me. Everybody is surprised about what is going on,"said Lincoln Glen Apartments' Manuel Ventura.
