The normally peaceful, tourist-filled Venice beach boardwalk in LA was rocked by a terrible tragedy this Saturday, leaving twelve pedestrians injured and one woman dead. The cause of this was a man in his car who, after sitting and watching the sunset and beach for a while, then proceeded to barrel towards the beach at 60 miles per hour, going past blockades and deliberately chasing after and targeting pedestrians. His mindless, bloody ride left countless people scared and traumatized, eight people with minor injuries, two people with more serious injuries, one person in critical condition, and also resulted in one fatality.
The one person killed was an Italian woman named Alice Gruppioni. She was reportedly on her honeymoon, having been married to her husband, who survived the assault, for only three days.
One witness, as quoted in an interview with CNN, described the scene as follows; “There were people flying, laying on the ground, tents flying everywhere. If he wanted to kill people, he came on a perfect time, 5 p.m. on a Saturday in the summer in Venice Beach.” There is no indication that the driver was familiar with any of the people on the beach, and there is, as of yet, no clear motive for this actions.
The driver, a man by the name of Nathan Louis Campbell, aged 38, was arrested later that same Saturday around seven o’ clock, just two hours after the horrible incident. He walked in to the police station, saying he was involved with the case and that he was the driver. Campbell was charged with murder and is being held at a $1 million bond.
The writer’s heart goes out to all those effected by this terrible event, and hopes that this man will face the punishment he deserves for such a heinous crime.