'Hate crime': US driver targeted family because they looked Muslim

Eight people were injured when 34-year-old military veteran Isaiah Peoples drove into a crowd near San Francisco


Afp April 27, 2019
Eight people were injured when 34-year-old military veteran Isaiah Peoples drove into a crowd near San Francisco. PHOTO: Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety

LOS ANGELES: A California man who deliberately drove into a crowd of people, injuring eight, did so because he thought they were Muslim, police said Friday.

The driver, 34-year-old Isaiah Peoples, reportedly targeted the family solely on their appearance, according to police in Sunnyvale, near San Francisco, who are now treating the case as a "hate crime".

"There is new evidence that Peoples intentionally targeted victims based on their race and belief that they were Muslim," said Sunnyvale Public Security in a statement.

According to local media, three members of the same family are among the eight pedestrians injured Tuesday -- a father and his son and daughter.

The nationality and religion of the family have not been released.

A lawyer for Peoples said the incident "was clearly the result of a mental disorder", and he would seek psychiatric treatment for his client - who he described as a military veteran possibly suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

COMMENTS (2)

candy | 5 years ago | Reply He's lucky he didn't do that in Texas - they would execute him pronto. While Calif has the death penalty it's liberal Governors have refused to execute anyone for decades.
Ishrat salim | 5 years ago | Reply O ye, if it was done by a Muslim, American media would not wait for a second to link him as terrorism, but since mr people’s is a non Muslim, he is being described as mentally unstable, very good !
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