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| Up to 14 hurt in SF hit-and-run spree | |
| 2006-08-29 | |
| Putting this in WOT for the moment because I'm profiling based on the odd name bolded below. 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 Ohmeed Aziz Popal, who has addresses in Ceres (Stanislaus County) and Fremont. So, odd name that. 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 blocks 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 person suffered minor injuries in an incident at 1850 Fillmore Street. • Two other people suffered minor injuries when they were hit at Pine at Divisadero streets, and another two were hit and suffered minor injuries at 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 others," said Lann Wilder, a spokeswoman for San Francisco General Hospital. Of those, six adults and one child were being treated for blunt trauma at S.F. General, she said. Wilder did not comment on the patients' conditions, but said she would provide further details later this afternoon. One victim, Pedro Aglugov, 70, was sitting at a table at a sidewalk cafe at 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 wasn't 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 and he just ran the red light. I saw him (Aglugov) hit the corner of the bumper and tumble.'' Barclay Lynn, 39, of San Francisco, said she and a friend were driving east 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, who 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 had 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. After hearing that the driver had been arrested, William said, "Unfortunately, they didn't shoot him right on the spot. 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 when 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, then 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 a blown out windshield. "It's a good possibility (the incidents) are all connected,'' Zambonin said.
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| Posted by:Lawrence of the Rats |
| #58 , when are we going to get you to stop using the most html tags available? |
| Posted by: Phil 2006-08-29 23:55 |
| #57 Got it Phil. :) I haven't checked stupiditysearch in a while. |
| Posted by: Thoth 2006-08-29 23:55 |
| #56 Thoth, given my last post, how can we tell when we're wrong? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-29 23:52 |
| #55 All I'm saying is let's not be too quick to jump the gun until more details come out. So, when we profile, do we "jump the gun"? As I said in my previous post. Muslims employ every imaginable form of dissembling to where there is almost no choice but to consider their motive to be that of violent jihad. Cross a Stalinist with a Nazi and then add in a jihadist, would you trust a single thing that person had to tell you? Guess what? Islamists want the same sort of mass-murder Stalinists rejoiced in, the same sort of genocide Nazi's dreamed of and the business-as-usual terrorist slaughter Islamists squirt over. Now, who[m] do you believe? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-29 23:49 |
| #54 No apologies necessary RD, I probably didn't communicate what I was trying to say in a clear enough manner. :) |
| Posted by: Thoth 2006-08-29 23:46 |
| #53 Anyway, it wasn't anything earth-shattering, just wanted to see how things were. |
| Posted by: Phil 2006-08-29 23:46 |
| #52 I tried stupiditysearch@yahoo.com. |
| Posted by: Phil 2006-08-29 23:45 |
| #51 Ooops. No, you're right Phil. I think you had my old work e-mail address. I'm not working there anymore. Try muck4doo@yahoo.com If you tried that one, nothing came in. :( |
| Posted by: Thoth 2006-08-29 23:44 |
| #50 Point taken Thoth.. and I apoligise for being hot headed..bad form on my part. |
| Posted by: RD 2006-08-29 23:42 |
| #49 Zenster, I have no sympathies for muslim "extremists", or really for the religion in general. I think it's a warped religion, and I've read the Quran and some of the Hadiths, so I think my point of view on the topic is not without reason. I know you have as well, as have others. That is why I like Rantburg. Yall's all actually know what you're talking about when it comes to the subject. I also think it's not a good idea to jump to conclusions whenever there's an Arabic name that floats around. That doesn't help, and gives your opposition ammunition if the assumptions turn out to be wrong. |
| Posted by: Thoth 2006-08-29 23:39 |
| #48 Thoth: I didn't know if that was supposed to be something everyone knew. Anyway, the email's sent. |
| Posted by: Phil 2006-08-29 23:38 |
| #47 Thoth, Let's agree on the 24 hour rule and take it up tomorrow when more is known. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-08-29 23:34 |
| #46 RD I consider you a great blogger and a friend over the last couple of years. I think you are missing my point. I'm not personally attacking anyone here. Frank knows he's one of my favorite bloggers here. I'm saying let's not rush to judgement until more is known. The point was I hate knee-jerk reactions on anything when little is known at the time, no matter the political leaning. |
| Posted by: Thoth 2006-08-29 23:34 |
| #45 Phil, I have the same e-mail address. This is my other persona. :) ed, You are right in that he drove quite a ways, but San Francisco pedestrian traffic is alot more heavier than Fremont pedestrian traffic. Could that be the reason? Look, I'm not saying he wasn't a Jihadi, and in all likelyhood, chances are he is. All I'm saying is let's not be too quick to jump the gun until more details come out. |
| Posted by: Thoth 2006-08-29 23:30 |
| #44 One death reported. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-08-29 23:29 |
| #43 We need to actualize our part as the Great Satan. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-08-29 23:17 |
| #42 I'm sure there are Arabs/Persians/Muslims that are capable of going nuts and trying to kill others out there without always having the reason why being religion. The problem is, that it's so hard to tell the difference. Remember the old taqiyaa thingie. After killing however many Jews, infidels, random warm-blooded mammals or whatever, they can always claim the usual momentary lapse of reason. Until Muslims abandon shit like violent jihad, taqiyaa and all their other protective coloration (known in the West as "marching under false colors"), we are allowed to think the worst whenever they try to kill us. I'm also obliged to add that so much of Islamic doctrine preaches the absolute worthlessness of us kufirs and how glorious violence and martyrdom are supposed to be, that it is tantamount to inducing psychotic behavior as a normative. Which, I believe, is Frank's point as well. Please correct me if I'm wrong, Frank. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-29 23:08 |
| #41 Don't assume Jihad until all the facts are in. I don't like knee jerk libtards, and I don't like knee-jerk conservatives either. then STFU Jerk. |
| Posted by: RD 2006-08-29 23:06 |
| #40 BTW, I don't discount that Popal may have been under mental stress or some life setback, but so was the Seattle Jewish community center killer you referenced. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-08-29 23:01 |
| #39 Phil, try http://meatismurder.blogspot.com/ |
| Posted by: ed 2006-08-29 22:58 |
| #38 Thoth, I would be more apt to discount the jihadi aspect if Popal attacked in his community. Instead he drove quite a ways to attack. I will also make a bet he picked out his victims with religious and racial discrimination in mind. BTW, how does one in the US, except for Hassidics in a few select cities, pick out Jewish pedestrians from the rest of the population? |
| Posted by: ed 2006-08-29 22:56 |
| #37 And I think I lost his last email address. Mine's changed since I last sent him a message too... |
| Posted by: Phil 2006-08-29 22:43 |
| #36 Ed. The asshat in Seattle went and specificaly targeted Jews. Are you denying this? If it was run of the mill Americans, well, that describes just about everyone doesn't it? I think if you look at most mass murderers in this countries history, they purdy much targeted run of the mill Americans, didn't they? Did that make them Jihadis? You know the answer to that. Arabs are just as capable of being lunatic mass murderers without a religious agenda as white, black, or any other race for that matter. Let's see how this plays out. |
| Posted by: Thoth 2006-08-29 22:42 |
| #35 Hey everyone. I just thought I'd check, but has anyone seen Muck4doo around? I was wondering how things were going with him. |
| Posted by: Phil 2006-08-29 22:42 |
| #34 Well, I won't argue with you on that Frank. This guy deserves no mercy, regardless of his reason why. I'm just saying we can't always jump to Jihad as the reason. I'm sure there are Arabs/Persians/Muslims that are capable of going nuts and trying to kill others out there without always having the reason why being religion. If that wasn't what you were implying, then I apologize for MY presumption. |
| Posted by: Thoth 2006-08-29 22:36 |
| #33 Thoth, Are you insinuating that if Popal was trying to kill Jews, it is jihad. If Popal was trying to kill run of the mill Americans, then it it is something less? |
| Posted by: ed 2006-08-29 22:32 |
| #32 I don't assume Jihad - I assume non-societal asshole, who should be incarcerated on meds for life or shot dead. Fuck his civil liberties. He's a danger to the public, and should be put away (if he's demented) or killed if he intended killing the people he hit. Time to piss around is over |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-08-29 22:31 |
| #31 Don't assume Jihad until all the facts are in. I don't like knee jerk libtards, and I don't like knee-jerk conservatives either. If he went on a Jew hitting spree like that asstard in Seattle did several weeks ago, then it might be safe to presume. If it was random, then we should probably wait for all the facts to come in. |
| Posted by: Thoth 2006-08-29 22:24 |
| #30 Honda CRV or Honda Pilot minis |
| Posted by: RD 2006-08-29 22:09 |
| #29 SUV not a rental this time. From another report: Department of Motor Vehicles records show the license plate on the SUV registered to Omeed A. Popal of Fremont |
| Posted by: GK 2006-08-29 21:51 |
| #28 Rex Mundi, I worked in the city today and heard two employees of the Jewish Community Center were hit. Very easy to hit someone because the center opens to the street..was a member in the past for many years. The Local media are lying scum bags and are explicitly saying it wasn't related to Muslim terrorism. BULL SHIT JCC: 3500 block of California Street in Laurel Heights Spruce and California streets..3 blocks Pine at Divisadero...2 blocks California and Fillmore...10 blocks Bush and Pierce...13 blocks Fremont is 20 miles accross the bay. Fremont Boulevard..main drag |
| Posted by: RD 2006-08-29 21:41 |
| #27 From the link in #25: In brief, Mr. Taheri-azar represents the ultimate Islamist nightmare: a seemingly well-adjusted Muslim whose religion inspires him, out of the blue, to murder non-Muslims. Mr. Taheri-azar acknowledged planning his jihad for more than two years, or during his university sojourn. It's not hard to imagine how his ideas developed, given the coherence of Islamist ideology, its immense reach (including a Muslim Student Association at UNC), and its resonance among many Muslims. Were Mr. Taheri-azar unique in his surreptitious adoption of radical Islam, one could ignore his case, but he fits into a widespread pattern of Muslims who lead quiet lives before turning to terrorism. Their number includes the hijackers responsible for the attacks of September 11, the London transport bombers, and the Intel engineer arrested before he could join the Taliban in Afghanistan, Maher Hawash. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-08-29 21:41 |
| #26 Sudden Jihad Syndrome Or, as I call it, Assimilation Panic™. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-29 21:40 |
| #25 Sudden Jihad Syndrome |
| Posted by: ed 2006-08-29 21:35 |
| #24 oooooh an honor killing? You're on a roll today, Frank. lotp, permit me to quote the American Bard, Mark Twain; "The secret source of humor is not joy but sorrow." Either you laugh about it or cry. We're all born crying, some of us learn to stop. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-29 21:26 |
| #23 or a disagreement about money, or marriage, or who knows what? Frank, I never said I want to be easy on the guy. I'm just saying that the assumption this is a jihad spree isn't the only possible explanation for the guy's actions. Violent psychosis doesn't get rehabilitated - such people need to be kept from society for the rest of their lives. But if he was sane enough to be held responsible, he should bear all the consequences of this horrendous attack. psychosis doesn't cause them to hit-and-run disagree on that - psychosis can cause a whole range of violent acts. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-08-29 21:10 |
| #22 oooooh an honor killing? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-08-29 21:07 |
| #21 from a different account: The driver was arrested at the intersection of California and Laurel after a short chase on foot. A witness to the arrest said on KCBS that a police officer on the scene reported the man wanted to "kill his family next." |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-08-29 21:07 |
| #20 Projection - some people need killing based on their actions. Or do you want to host him after "rehabilitation"? Sorry to be so preachy, but I have no sympathy for those who take lives deliberately. Psychosis doesn't cause them to hit-n-run. Same as car chases - how many people were (and will in the future) be endangered by the continued existence of this obvious danger. RAB |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-08-29 21:06 |
| #19 For guys like these we need to let the victims do some skeet shooting like in History of the World. ""...Violence, I hate violence, it's the one thing I detest!". Ironically while giving his discourse on violence he is skeet shooting using peasants in lieu of clay pigeons" |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-08-29 21:02 |
| #18 After watching someone I knew well and cared about go through a psychotic break for a while, I personally will never play games with the word, NS. It's a heartbreaking thing to be caught up in, whether as the patient or the bystander. Yeah, I guess I'm being heavy on this, but those who've seen real psychosis up close wouldn't bandy about the term for all Muslims that way. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-08-29 20:56 |
| #17 although from name and likely origin we can guess, we really don't know this guy's motive. It is possible he's truly mentally ill, acting under psychosis. It was based on his name that I assumed he was psycotic. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-08-29 20:41 |
| #16 Interesting, Angie. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-08-29 20:33 |
| #15 Which part, Frank, "mentally ill" or "psychosis"? HINT: "Yes" is a permissible answer. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-29 20:31 |
| #14 "Unfortunately, they didn't shoot him right on the spot. That line is now gone from the article. |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2006-08-29 20:30 |
| #13 or Islam, but I repeat you... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-08-29 20:28 |
| #12 One caution -- although from name and likely origin we can guess, we really don't know this guy's motive. It is possible he's truly mentally ill, acting under psychosis. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-08-29 20:26 |
| #11 Pelican Bay is for those in normal prisons who can't get along/high risk. This fuck needs a shank in the neck in one of the lesser supervised hellholes |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-08-29 20:21 |
| #10 Since the guy's from Fremont. Good chance that he's an Afghan. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2006-08-29 20:18 |
| #9 I keep thinking of that little kid that's critically injured and may not make it, tho. In light of the serial nature of these crimes, charges of pre-meditation should apply to all but, perhaps, the first collision. This should trigger special circumstances and a chance for shaheed Popal to buddy up with Mr. Needle. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-29 20:16 |
| #8 I suspect that even in SF this guy will be put away for a long time. Pelican Bay, I'd bet. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-08-29 20:12 |
| #7 Hard to resist the temptation for black humor. I keep thinking of that little kid that's critically injured and may not make it, tho. SOB. May be psychotic, may be a jihadi wannabe. We'll see. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-08-29 20:08 |
| #6 Thus beginneth Islamic NASCAR. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-29 20:06 |
| #5 Another one of those isolated incidents totally unrelated with Jihad and the Religion of Peace. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2006-08-29 20:04 |
| #4 Thank ye :) |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2006-08-29 19:54 |
| #3 Fixed it for you, LotR |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-08-29 19:33 |
| #2 Laurence of the Rats - That was me posting the story. Putting it here again in case the cookie monster ain't done with me. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2006-08-29 19:30 |
| #1 One of the attacks took place in front of a Jewish Community Center at California and Presidio |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2006-08-29 19:23 |