LOS ANGELES — A man charged with intentionally running over people on the Venice beach boardwalk confessed hours after killing a tourist and injuring 16 others, a police officer testified Wednesday.
Nathan Campbell walked into a police station in the neighboring city of Santa Monica only two hours after the Aug. 3 crash and said: "I'm the one you're looking for. I hit all those people," Officer Brent Wilkening said during Campbell's preliminary hearing.
Wilkening testified that Campbell said he had parked his car about a mile away and walked to the station but stopped for a drink at a liquor store, the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/1iw1V8C ) reported.
A judge will decide whether Campbell, 38, should stand trial on one count of murder, 16 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and 17 counts of hit-and-run. He could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
Campbell, a transient with a history of petty crime convictions, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer has said the event was an accident.
Witnesses have testified that the driver maneuvered around barriers and intentionally aimed at tourists and vendors as he sped down the famous Southern California tourist spot. Alice Gruppioni, 32, a newlywed from Bologna, Italy, died on her honeymoon and 16 other people were injured.
On Tuesday, seven witnesses who were flown in from around the world described their efforts to protect children and themselves as the 2008 Dodge Avenger came hurtling through the Sunday evening crowd.
