A 46-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after allegedly intentionally plowing his car into a number of pedestrians in Long Beach, California this weekend, killing one and severely injuring several others.
Long Beach authorities arrested Khalid Yagobbi after he remained at the scene of the incident on Saturday evening around 6:30 p.m. and was escorted to the hospital to treat his injuries. His bail has been set at $2 million.
Yagobbi’s victim, 60-year-old Romelia Aguilar Cuarenta, died at the scene following the incident. Her brother, Juan Carlos Cuarenta, said to the media after the event, “I want justice in respect to what happened. There was no reason for my sister to die such a tragic death.”
Those injured remain in hospital, with one’s condition being described as “critical.”
Authorities were bizarrely quick to dismiss motive, stating: “At this time, there is no indication that this incident was an act of terror nor associated with the current violence in Israel; however, the investigation is ongoing,” said the Long Beach Police Department.
“The violence and acts of terror abroad have generated concern and anxiety throughout our community, and this apparent act of violence has only added to that anxiety,” the police department added.
