(08-29) 15:56 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- As many as 14 people were injured
this afternoon by a motorist who drove around San Francisco running
them down before he was arrested, authorities said.

Up to 14 hurt in SF hit-and-run spree
7 critical; driver believed to have struck, killed a man in Fremont

(08-29) 15:56 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- As many as 14 people were injured this
afternoon by a motorist who drove around San Francisco running them down
before he was arrested, authorities said.

Seven of those injured were in critical condition, police and firefighters
said.

Authorities have identified the man who was arrested as Omeed Aziz Popal,
who has addresses in Ceres (Stanislaus County) and Fremont.

Authorities said they believe Popal was the same driver who ran over and
killed a 55-year-old man walking in a bicycle lane in Fremont, at Fremont
Boulevard near Ferry Lane, just after noon. That crash scene is just

from Popal's Fremont address, where he had most recently been living.

Popal was arrested at a Walgreens at Spruce and California streets.

In San Francisco, the attacks began around 1 p.m., but it was unclear in
what order:

. Two people, one of them a child, were critically injured around by a
sport-utility vehicle on the 3500 block of California Street in Laurel
Heights.

. Three people were hit at California and Fillmore streets. Witnesses said
they included a man with a broken hip and a woman with a gashed head.

. Two people were seriously hurt at Bush and Pierce streets and one person
was seriously injured at Bush and Buchanan streets, police said. One

suffered minor injuries in an incident at 1850 Fillmore Street.

. Two other people suffered minor injuries when they were hit at Pine and
Divisadero streets, and another two were hit and suffered minor injuries

Divisadero and Bush Street.

"It was like 'Death Race 2000,' " firefighter Danny Bright said at
California and Fillmore streets, as an ambulance stood nearby. "Guys were
walking down the sidewalk and the guy just came up and ran them over. The
guy went crazy.''

Fire Lt. Mindy Talmadge said Mayor Gavin Newsom had been notified and was
coordinating the response with the command post at Spruce and California
streets.

This afternoon, Newsom left City Hall saying he was en route to a
hospital -- presumably San Francisco General, where seven people had been
admitted.

"Eleven people were hurt in the field, and police are still finding

said Lann Wilder, a spokeswoman for San Francisco General Hospital. Seven
people ages 18-84 were being treated at San Francisco General, she said.

Wilder did not comment on the patients' conditions, but said she would
provide further details later this afternoon.

Three people were taken to St. Francis Hospital, one to Kaiser and two
others California Pacific Medical Center, Wilder said.

One victim, Pedro Aglugov, 70, was sitting at a table at a sidewalk cafe

California and Fillmore with his head bandaged with gauze, holding an ice
pack to one elbow.

"He was going real fast," Aglugov said of the driver. "I was lucky I

hurt more.''

Eliseo Billones Jr., 24, a canvasser for Greenpeace, was standing on the
corner when Aglugov was hit.

"He was going berserk," Billones said of the driver. "It was a red light

he just ran the red light. I saw him (Aglugov) hit the corner of the

and tumble.''

Barclay Lynn, 39, of San Francisco, said she and a friend were driving

on Bush when they saw a black SUV driving away and saw a motorcyclist who
had been hit.

"The motorcyclist stood in the intersection trying to signal the driver to
stop,'' Lynn said. The SUV then "went speeding in reverse on Bush heading
west, weaving in and out of traffic. The whole right side of his SUV was
smashed in.''

At Frankie's Bohemian Cafe at Divisadero and Pine, a man named William,

asked that his last name not be used, said he was walking south on
Divisadero when "we heard the thump, turned around, saw bodies flying.''

He described the vehicle as a black Honda Pilot SUV that looked new and

a windshield that was shattered on the right side.

The driver went down Pine and Bush, "stood on the gas,'' then a couple of
minutes later "came flying up through the bus lane'' headed north on
Divisadero.

Another man at the cafe, Max Bran, said, "We thought he was going to stop
and give up, but instead he just stepped on the gas. It didn't matter,
regardless of the lights.''

He saw a woman knocked down. "She was just crossing the street, just
crossing the street," he said. "In fact, I had just crossed the street.''

The two men said someone who had been at the cafe earlier picked up a
license plate from the SUV.

Authorities believe the same suspect struck and killed a pedestrian in
Fremont earlier today.

That victim was walking north on Fremont Boulevard in the bicycle lane

he was struck from behind and knocked several feet into a field, Fremont
Officer Alan Zambonin said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The black SUV, a Honda described as a
Pilot or a CRV, made no attempt to stop or help the victim, police said.

The vehicle had right front end damage and a shattered windshield.

Zambonin said one witness saw the collision from about 1,000 feet away,

stopped to try to help the man, who was already dead.

Zambonin estimated the SUV was going as fast as 50 mph and sped away with

blown out windshield.

"It's a good possibility (the incidents) are all connected,'' Zambonin

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/29/BAGAEKRCO55.DTL

I guess the Lefty Liberals will assume the SUV made him do it??? :Oo

Up to 14 hurt in SF hit-and-run spree
7 critical; driver believed to have struck, killed a man in Fremont

(08-29) 15:56 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- As many as 14 people were injured this
afternoon by a motorist who drove around San Francisco running them down
before he was arrested, authorities said.

Seven of those injured were in critical condition, police and firefighters
said.

Authorities have identified the man who was arrested as Omeed Aziz Popal,
who has addresses in Ceres (Stanislaus County) and Fremont.

Authorities said they believe Popal was the same driver who ran over and
killed a 55-year-old man walking in a bicycle lane in Fremont, at Fremont
Boulevard near Ferry Lane, just after noon. That crash scene is just

from Popal's Fremont address, where he had most recently been living.

Popal was arrested at a Walgreens at Spruce and California streets.

In San Francisco, the attacks began around 1 p.m., but it was unclear in
what order:

. Two people, one of them a child, were critically injured around by a
sport-utility vehicle on the 3500 block of California Street in Laurel
Heights.

. Three people were hit at California and Fillmore streets. Witnesses said
they included a man with a broken hip and a woman with a gashed head.

. Two people were seriously hurt at Bush and Pierce streets and one person
was seriously injured at Bush and Buchanan streets, police said. One

suffered minor injuries in an incident at 1850 Fillmore Street.

. Two other people suffered minor injuries when they were hit at Pine and
Divisadero streets, and another two were hit and suffered minor injuries

Divisadero and Bush Street.

"It was like 'Death Race 2000,' " firefighter Danny Bright said at
California and Fillmore streets, as an ambulance stood nearby. "Guys were
walking down the sidewalk and the guy just came up and ran them over. The
guy went crazy.''

Fire Lt. Mindy Talmadge said Mayor Gavin Newsom had been notified and was
coordinating the response with the command post at Spruce and California
streets.

This afternoon, Newsom left City Hall saying he was en route to a
hospital -- presumably San Francisco General, where seven people had been
admitted.

"Eleven people were hurt in the field, and police are still finding

said Lann Wilder, a spokeswoman for San Francisco General Hospital. Seven
people ages 18-84 were being treated at San Francisco General, she said.

Wilder did not comment on the patients' conditions, but said she would
provide further details later this afternoon.

Three people were taken to St. Francis Hospital, one to Kaiser and two
others California Pacific Medical Center, Wilder said.

One victim, Pedro Aglugov, 70, was sitting at a table at a sidewalk cafe

California and Fillmore with his head bandaged with gauze, holding an ice
pack to one elbow.

"He was going real fast," Aglugov said of the driver. "I was lucky I

hurt more.''

Eliseo Billones Jr., 24, a canvasser for Greenpeace, was standing on the
corner when Aglugov was hit.

"He was going berserk," Billones said of the driver. "It was a red light

he just ran the red light. I saw him (Aglugov) hit the corner of the

and tumble.''

Barclay Lynn, 39, of San Francisco, said she and a friend were driving

on Bush when they saw a black SUV driving away and saw a motorcyclist who
had been hit.

"The motorcyclist stood in the intersection trying to signal the driver to
stop,'' Lynn said. The SUV then "went speeding in reverse on Bush heading
west, weaving in and out of traffic. The whole right side of his SUV was
smashed in.''

At Frankie's Bohemian Cafe at Divisadero and Pine, a man named William,

asked that his last name not be used, said he was walking south on
Divisadero when "we heard the thump, turned around, saw bodies flying.''

He described the vehicle as a black Honda Pilot SUV that looked new and

a windshield that was shattered on the right side.

The driver went down Pine and Bush, "stood on the gas,'' then a couple of
minutes later "came flying up through the bus lane'' headed north on
Divisadero.

Another man at the cafe, Max Bran, said, "We thought he was going to stop
and give up, but instead he just stepped on the gas. It didn't matter,
regardless of the lights.''

He saw a woman knocked down. "She was just crossing the street, just
crossing the street," he said. "In fact, I had just crossed the street.''

The two men said someone who had been at the cafe earlier picked up a
license plate from the SUV.

Authorities believe the same suspect struck and killed a pedestrian in
Fremont earlier today.

That victim was walking north on Fremont Boulevard in the bicycle lane

he was struck from behind and knocked several feet into a field, Fremont
Officer Alan Zambonin said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The black SUV, a Honda described as a
Pilot or a CRV, made no attempt to stop or help the victim, police said.

The vehicle had right front end damage and a shattered windshield.

Zambonin said one witness saw the collision from about 1,000 feet away,

stopped to try to help the man, who was already dead.

Zambonin estimated the SUV was going as fast as 50 mph and sped away with

blown out windshield.

"It's a good possibility (the incidents) are all connected,'' Zambonin

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/29/BAGAEKRCO55.DTL

I guess the Lefty Liberals will assume the SUV made him do it??? :Oo