SAN DIEGO (AP) – A driver plowed through a homeless sidewalk in downtown San Diego on Monday, killing three people and injuring six others, authorities said.
Craig Voss, 71, was on his way through a tunnel under a community college campus when he hit his Volvo station wagon on the sidewalk shortly after 9 a.m., San Diego police chief David Nisleit.
Voss was arrested at the scene. He is facing three charges of manslaughter, five charges of great bodily harm and a serious DUI, Nisleit said. He did not elaborate or determine whether Voss was under the influence of alcohol or another substance. He said additional costs could come.
It was not immediately known if Voss had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.
The fatal crash highlights the inherent risks to the homeless population in California, where their tents and sails not only lie along sidewalks in downtown, but are also near ramps where cars accelerate while driving highways.
More than 150,000 people nationwide are homeless. The number increased during the coronavirus pandemic that boosted the economy.
Mayor Todd Gloria said most, if not all, of the nine people affected were homeless.
“They were there because they felt they could go nowhere else,” Gloria said. “This morning’s accident does not have to be so devastating. Let me make it very clear, a street is not a house. ‘
Three people died at the scene. Five of the six others injured were taken to hospitals. Two were in critical condition. San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell said both “awake, alert and answering questions”.
The mayor, who took office in December, said the camp had been there for a while. More people may have gone to the short tunnel under the San Diego City College campus on Monday because the cement bridge provided cover on a rainy day.
On a typical morning, it’s a busy environment with students passing by, but during the coronavirus pandemic, classes were online.
Gloria said the city must now act to address its homeless problem, and it began by offering shelter to the other homeless who were in the tunnel on Monday and escaped injury. A handful accepted. The city also sent mental health workers to help.
“We want to make sure they did not die in vain,” Gloria said of those killed.
But he added that the city has a shortage of beds in its shelters, and he has vowed to speak to state and federal officials for more help, calling the current situation “unacceptable.”
“It is not human or safe to keep our unprotected neighbors sleeping under bridges, in alleys or in ravines,” he said.
Lisa Brotzman said she was looking out of a window in her tent just as the car swerved to the right shoulder, “turned out of control” and jumped onto the sidewalk in the tunnel where people were waiting for the rain.
“Someone shouted, ‘Ahhh! Ahhhh! “” Brotzman told The San Diego Union-Tribune. ‘Two or three people were screaming and screaming. It was scary. ”
The driver got out of his car and tried to help people before identifying himself to police, Nisleit said.
“He was cooperative, and did not try to run away,” the chief said, correcting previous police reports that he had tried to flee.
Ambulances, five fire trucks, a helicopter and more than 60 first responders responded to the scene.
“Of course, our crew members found a tragic incident under the bridge,” the fire chief said.