3 Killed, 6 Injured When Car Plows Into Crowd On Sidewalk In San Diego

A driver plowed through a crowd on a sidewalk under an overpass on a rainy Monday morning in downtown San Diego, killing three people and injuring six others, police said. San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit said two people were in critical condition.

The driver — whom authorities identified only as a 71-year-old man — appeared to lose control of his Volvo station wagon shortly after 9 a.m. near a community college, Nisleit said. He was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired.

"For whatever reason, (the driver) veered to the right, went up on the sidewalk, struck multiple pedestrians there and then came back onto the roadway," Nisleit said.

Three people died at the scene. Five of the six others who were injured were taken to hospitals, authorities said.

Nisleit offered "my deepest condolences" to the families of those who died.

Ronnie Williams told reporters he was among the last to be hit by the car, describing the incident as "a nightmare, like a really quick nightmare." Williams said three of his friends were taken to a hospital.

"The way he was riding down the sidewalk, it was like he didn't take his foot off the gas until he got to the other side of the street," Williams said.

The sidewalk had tents on it. Nisleit said homeless people may have moved under the bridge to get out of the rain just before the car plowed through.

"I don't know if people were sleeping or people were sitting there," he said, adding that authorities scrambling to get people medical help would then turn to finding the answers to those questions.

The driver got out of his car and tried to help people before identifying himself to police, Nisleit said.