Photos: John Ross Ferrara.
UPDATE, 4:00 p.m.:
The initial report of a firearm being brandished occurred before the hit-and-run, and not during the arrest. Officers located no firearms on any of the suspects detained during their investigation.
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UPDATE, 3:35 p.m.:
Captain Watson tells the Outpost that the suspected hit-and-run driver has been arrested.
Officers stopped the suspected hit-and-run vehicle in Cutten, where three people were detained. Despite initial reports of a possible brandished firearm, no weapons were located or discharged during the arrest.
One 18-year-old man was arrested for felony hit-and-run charges.
Watson tells the Outpost that contrary to initial reports, just one victim was hospitalized. The victim is alive and still being examined at a local hospital.
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UPDATE, 12:30 p.m.:
Captain Steve Watson of the Eureka Police Department tells the Outpost that the suspected hit-and-run vehicle has been stopped by officers, and two to three suspects have been detained.
According to preliminary information, one of the suspects may have brandished a gun before the initial hit-and-run. However, Watson was unable to confirm if officers fired upon the suspect.
“At this preliminary state it doesn’t appear that a firearm was discharged, but we have reports of possible shots fired at the suspect,” Watson said. “I can’t confirm that shots were fired at this time. We’re getting multiple reports of different things and it takes a while so sort fact from fiction.”
Watson also said that three victims of the initial hit and run were taken to a local hospital. Their conditions are not known at this time.
The investigation is ongoing. We will update when we know more.
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At least one person was injured after a car ran into people outside the St. Vincent DePaul Dining Facility on West Third Street this morning.
The car fled the scene.
Police and rescue personnel quickly swarmed the street after the incident, which occurred at about 11:15 a.m. One person was taken away in an ambulance, but others are believed to have suffered minor injuries in the crash, as well.
According to multiple witnesses, the driver of the car — a green, two-door Honda Civic — intentionally aimed the vehicle into the crowd.
Claudette Jackson, who was volunteering at the free meal facility as the incident occurred, told the Outpost‘s John Ross Ferrara that the driver of the vehicle had been seen shouting things at people standing outside building. The people started shouting back. At that point the vehicle spun a U-turn and ran into the crowd. Audio below:
John and Launa Delp, the owners of J & L Towing, located directly across the street, told the Outpost that they did not see an argument, but confirmed that the driver drove intentionally into the crowd.
Police are still on-scene interviewing witnesses. We’ll update when we know more.
Skid marks from the car. It flipped a U-turn then drove into the crowd.
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