SUNNYVALE, Calif. _ The FBI has opened a federal hate crime investigation into the man police said intentionally rammed his car into a group of people in Sunnyvale last week, based on his belief that some of the people were Muslim.
The announcement follows news from authorities in Sunnyvale, who said Friday they are treating the case as a hate crime based on evidence that the driver, Isaiah Joel Peoples, targeted a family, believed to be South Asian, purely based on their appearance.
"The FBI San Francisco Field Office has opened a federal hate crime investigation into the incident that occurred in Sunnyvale on April 23, 2019," a statement from the agency said.
"As this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to comment further at this time," the statement said.
Three family members _ the father, a 13-year-old daughter and her 9-year-old brother _ were among the eight people injured in the crash. The daughter was the most severely hurt. She is in a coma and fighting for her life, police said.
"New evidence shows that the defendant intentionally targeted the victims based on their race, and his belief that they were of the Muslim faith," Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety Chief Phan Ngo said Friday.
Peoples, a 34-year-old Army veteran and government defense contract auditor living in Sunnyvale, was arraigned in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose on eight counts of attempted murder.
Four of the counts come with enhancements for causing great bodily injury. If convicted, Peoples could face life in prison.
Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area, said many members of the local Muslim community are "shocked and terrified" that this could happen in a place known for being diverse and progressive.
These incidents "will have many of us looking over our shoulders and urging mosque leaders to assess security plans," said Billoo, as families prepare, just a month after the attacks on Muslims in New Zealand, to enter the month of Ramadan.
A lawyer for Peoples, Chuck Smith, said Friday he will dispute that the crash was intentional, and said Peoples ramming his car into pedestrians "was clearly the result of a mental disorder or defect."
The teenage girl, a seventh-grader at Sunnyvale Middle School, suffered bleeding and swelling of the brain, and the left side of her skull was removed to relieve pressure, according to an investigative summary.
Other victims suffered broken or fractured limbs, as well as abrasions and lacerations and other injuries.
Peoples' brother and mother have told reporters that he had shown signs of post-traumatic stress disorder after returning from Iraq and had at one point been hospitalized for psychiatric issues.
The brother said that their mother had spoken to Isaiah the day before the attack and said he seemed about to have "another one of those episodes."
Peoples served more than five years in the Army in the mid-to-late 2000s, including 11 months in Iraq, and rose to the rank of sergeant. He worked in civil affairs, but before that, he served as a gunner and provided security, his brother said.
He was honorably discharged, according to Army records, and received numerous awards and commendations, including an Army Commendation Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Combat Action Badge and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Staff writers Robert Salonga, John Woolfolk, Thy Vo and Nico Savidge contributed to this report.
