Eight people were killed and dozens injured yesterday evening when a speeding car crashed through a crowded street market in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Monica.
A three-year-old girl was among those killed when the 1992 Buick LeSabre driven by an 86-year-old man careened through the open-air market shortly before 2 p.m. local time, police said.
Fifteen people were critically hurt, with between 20 and 30 others suffering moderate to minor injuries in what Santa Monica Police Chief James Butts called "the most devastating accident scene that I have witnessed in 30 years of law enforcement".
The driver walked away from the incident and was interviewed by police before he was released, Mr Butts said. The man told police that he thought he was stepping on the brake and instead hit the accelerator.
Mr Butts said the man, who could face criminal charges, was lucid and did not appear to have suffered from any medical condition that contributed to the accident.