SAN DIEGO (AP) – A driver passed a homeless sidewalk camp on Monday in downtown San Diego, killing three people and wounding six others, officials said.
Craig Voss, 71, was going through a tunnel under the campus of a community college when he drove his Volvo station wagon on the sidewalk, shortly after 9:00 am, San Diego police chief David Nisleit.
Voss was arrested on the spot. He faces three counts of manslaughter, five counts of causing major bodily harm and a DUI crime, Nisleit said, adding that Voss had been tested for sobriety by a drug recognition specialist. He did not elaborate or identify whether Voss was under the influence of alcohol or another substance. He said additional costs may be coming.
It was not immediately known whether Voss had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
The deadly accident highlights the risks inherent in the homeless population in California, where their tents and tarpaulins line up not only on downtown sidewalks, but close to ramps where cars speed up when entering highways.
More than 150,000 people are homeless across the state. The number increased during the coronavirus pandemic, which affected the economy.
Mayor Todd Gloria said that most, if not all, of the nine people affected were homeless.
“They were there because they felt they had nowhere else to go,” said Gloria. “This accident this morning didn’t have to be so devastating. Let me state very clearly, a street is not a home. “
Three people died at the scene. Five of the other six wounded were taken to hospitals. Two were in critical condition. San Diego fire chief Colin Stowell said they were both “awake, alert and answering questions”.
The mayor, who took office in December, said the camp had been around for some time. More people on Monday may have gone into the short tunnel under the San Diego City College campus because the cement bridge provided coverage on a rainy day.
On a typical weekday morning, it is a busy area with students passing by, but classes were online during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gloria said the city needs to act now to resolve the homelessness problem, and that it was starting by offering shelter on Monday to the other homeless people who were in the tunnel and escaped injuries. A handful accepted. The city also sent mental health professionals to help.
“We want to make sure that they didn’t die in vain,” said Gloria of the dead.
But he added that the city faces a shortage of beds in its shelters and has pledged to talk to state and federal authorities for more help, calling the current situation “unacceptable”.
“It is not human or safe to allow our homeless neighbors to sleep under bridges, alleys or canyons,” he said.
Lisa Brotzman said she was peeking out of her tent window when the car swerved to her right shoulder, “spun out of control” and jumped onto the tunnel sidewalk where people were waiting to get out of the rain.
“Someone was shouting, ‘Ahhh! Ahhhh! ‘”Brotzman told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “Two or three people were shouting and screaming. It was scary.”
The driver got out of the car and tried to help people before identifying himself to the police, Nisleit said.
“He cooperated (and) did not try to escape,” said the chief, correcting previous police reports that he had tried to escape.
Ambulances, five fire engines, a helicopter and more than 60 rescuers responded to the scene.
“Our teams have obviously encountered a tragic incident under the bridge,” said the fire chief.