Local News

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / BCN / AP) ― The attorney retained by the family of Omeed Aziz Popal, the driver suspected in a bloody hit-and-run rampage that killed a Fremont man and injured 14 San Francisco pedestrians, said Wednesday that Popal's family is terrified for him, for the victims and for themselves.

Millbrae attorney Majeed Samara said that according to Popal's father, Popal has not been the same since waking up from a bad dream six months ago.

Other friends and relatives also said Popal was mentally unstable, felt stress as a result of a recent arranged marriage and had been having recurring nightmares about someone coming to kill him.They also said he was taking medication.

"He thought the devil was coming to him," said Zargona Ramish, who identified herself as a cousin of Popal's. "He is a very good person. He is not like that. What's wrong with him?"

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Popal, 29, of Fremont, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon following a 20-minute rampage in San Francisco that terrorized pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.But authorities believe his first hit-and-run actually occured more than an hour earlier when his black Honda Pilot SUV fatally struck a man in the East Bay area.

"He drove on sidewalks, streets, hit people on crosswalks. It runs the gamut," said SFPD Sgt. Neville Gittens.

Popal was arrested on suspicion of 14 counts of attempted murder and a charge of willful flight after causing serious injury or death, Gittens said.

Popal remained in custody Wednesday as he awaited a court appearance. District attorney's office spokeswoman Debbie Mesloh said Popal could be arraigned as late as Friday.

Meantime, defense attorney Samara said there's no doubt that Popal has "mental issues" and said that he will need to "retain a lot of doctors to assist him."

"I don't think his family has the resources to approach this," the lawyer added.

Popal's family once took him to a Kaiser Permanente facility in Fremont for treatment of his mental health issues, Samara explained.

The lawyer also said Popal disappeared for three days last week without telling anyone where he was going.

Neighbors said Popal was living with his parents in Fremont, home to the nation's largest Afghan community.

Another of Popal's cousins, Hamid Nekrawesh, said a recent arranged marriage in Afghanistan, where Popal's family is from, may have contributed to his problems.

"The kid grew up here. He wasn't used to the lifestyle in Afghanistan. I'm sure that put a lot of pressure on him," Nekrawesh said.

Police think the hit-and-run spree began around noon in Fremont, where 54-year old Stephen J. Wilson was hit by a black SUV while walking along the bike path on the side of Fremont Boulevard south of Ferry Lane.He was thrown into a field and pronounced dead at the scene, the Alameda County Coroner's office said.

Witnesses said the driver did not slow down.

He then crossed the bay into San Francisco, where he injured at least 14 people in various locations around the city before police boxed him in with their cruisers around 1 p.m. near the Presidio.

The victims were taken to three area hospitals. One was still listed in critical condition Wednesday at San Francisco General, where Mayor Gavin Newsom met with victims and their families Tuesday evening.

"These are the things, these are so senseless. They're utterly inexplicable. They're impossible to rationalize," Newsom said afterward. "The fact that this individual felt compelled for whatever reason to be determined to do what he did is beyond imagination."

Some of the injured were pedestrians and some were motorists; the victims' ages ranged from 18 to 84, authorities said.

No weapons were found on Popal, Gittens said. There was no information on whether drugs or alcohol were involved, and it was unclear how fast he was driving, he said.

"It was very chaotic," he said. "Fortunately, we were able to take him into custody."

Defense attorney Samara said Wednesday that he might not continue to represent Popal because of the potential expense of the case.

"Right now, I'm representing him until the public defender is going to step in. I stepped in to represent him yesterday not knowing anything about the case," Samara said.

(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)