The man accused of driving his car into a group of pedestrians on El Camino Real in Sunnyvale on April 23 made another appearance in court.
On July 11, Isaiah Peoples stood before a judge, but did not enter a plea.
“We’re still getting discovery from the DA,” said Peoples’ attorney Chuck Smith. “Until we have all the discovery from the DA; all the discovery, police reports, all those things, until we have all the discovery…we did not enter a plea.”
The case against Peoples is slowly moving forward. On May 30, the prosecution added two hate crime charges to the counts against Peoples.
Investigators say Peoples deliberately drove into a crowd of people in the crosswalk near the intersection of El Camino Real and Sunnyvale Avenue, hitting at least seven of them. They say Peoples was targeting at least two of the pedestrians because he thought they were Muslim or Indian.
Eight people were injured in the attack; seven were hit by the car and an eighth person was injured getting out of the way of the car.
A 13-year-old girl suffered the worst of the injuries and spent weeks in the hospital in a coma. Her father and brother were also injured.
According to Deputy District Attorney Carlos Vega, the 13-year-old is now out of the coma and is expected to survive.
Peoples faces eight counts of attempted murder, two with enhanced hate crime charges. Four of the counts also include enhancements for causing great bodily injury.
Peoples is an Army veteran who served from 2004-2006 and then received an honorable discharge. He spent the following two years as a member of the army reserves.
Family members believe Peoples may be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Peoples is being held without bail and faces life in prison if he is convicted. He is scheduled to be in court again on Sept. 5 for a status hearing. It’s possible he could enter a plea then.
Sunnyvale Community Services in conjunction with the City of Sunnyvale continues to collect donations for the eight people injured.
You can donate online by visiting www.svcommunityservices.org and selecting “ECR Victims Support” under the cause dropdown menu.
You can also donate in person at the Sunnyvale Community Services offices at 725 Kifer Rd. in Sunnyvale. They are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.