 Paul Sakuma / Associated Press Omeed A. Popal's mother, Zakia, left, and his father, Najib, along with San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, right, leave a San Francisco courtroom after a hearing for Omeed Popal today. More photos
A San Francisco Superior Court judge today postponed until next week the arraignment of Omeed Aziz Popal on 18 felony counts of attempted murder, saying she was waiting for a psychiatric evaluation report on the Fremont resident. Popal is accused of intentionally mowing down at least 14 pedestrians in San Francisco on Tuesday. He is also a suspect in the hit-and-run death of a man in Fremont earlier that day. During a brief discussion about bail, which Judge Donna Little denied, Deputy District Attorney James Thompson said that Popal's statements indicate that he would be a danger if allowed out of custody. "He said he wanted to kill a police officer but couldn't find any," Thompson said. He said that Popal's statements indicated he intended to "kill someone since the day before." Seven victims hit by the Honda Pilot Popal was allegedly driving suffered "great bodily harm, three were 70 or older and one appears to be paralyzed," the prosecutor said. In addition to the attempted murder counts, Popal faces 18 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, a felony count of battery on a peace officer causing injury and a felony count of reckless evasion from police. If convicted on all charges, Popal could face life in prison. Public defender Jeff Adachi, who is representing Popal, said his client is undergoing psychiatric evaluation. "His state of mind will be a major issue in this case," Adachi said. Responding to a question of whether Popal might plead insanity, Adachi said, "All we know is that there appears to be some very serious mental problems." Among those in court today were Popal's brother, his mother, Zakia, and his father, Najib. During the proceedings, Adachi consulted with Najib Popal, who occasionally wiped tears from his eyes. Some of the people accompanying the parents as they exited the courtroom tried to shield their faces from cameras. At one point, Najib Popal put his arm around his wife, who had tears in her eyes. The family declined to comment outside the courtroom. Adachi told reporters "they are still in a state of shock. This is a man who has no history of violence. He's never been in trouble before." He said the family expresses sympathy for all the victims. "It is a horrible tragedy what occurred." Of the seven patients rushed to San Francisco General Hospital Tuesday, three had been discharged by Thursday morning, said Anson Moon, a hospital spokesman. Of the remaining four, one is in the intensive care unit. The conditions of the others "are anywhere from fair to good condition," said Eileen Shields, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. |
