Man suspected of driving into pedestrians gets murder charge
SAN FRANCISCO » The 33-year- old man suspected of driving into a group of pedestrians following a physical altercation with the group, killing one and injuring the others, will be charged with one count of murder and four counts of attempted murder, authorities said Thursday.
The suspect, Mark Dennis, also will be charged with six counts of assault with a deadly weapon and four counts of assault causing great bodily injury stemming from the incident Wednesday, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. Dennis is scheduled to be arraigned next week.
The encounter was reported near 24th and Illinois streets, in an industrial area, at about 10:25 a.m. Authorities said Dennis got into a fight with five people then drove a van into them, according to multiple media reports.
A witness at the scene told KGO-TV, this newspaper’s media partner, that the driver first swung an ax at the group.
“The guy in the van was just crazy and took it to another level and got out and went after the guys with an ax and they just took off their belts and were lashing at him,” the witness said, adding that the group overpowered the driver and took the ax away fromhim.
The driver got back into the van screaming and, as the group started to walk away, he turned the van around, floored it and drove over four of the five people, the witness told the television station.
One of the victims — Eliseo Lopez, 43 — died, according to a spokesman for San Francisco General Hospital. Three others have serious injuries, and one other person was listed in fair condition, authorities said.
KGO-TV also reported that the driver was arrested a couple of miles away from the scene and that a white GMC Safari with multiple dents was being examined by police.