A 31-year-old Fremont man accused running down and trying to kill pedestrians in San Francisco entered a plea today of not guilty by reason of insanity to 35 felony counts.Omeed Aziz Popal is accused of 16 counts of attempted murder, 16 assault charges and other crimes stemming from the attack Aug. 29, 2006, in which people were run down in at least 11 spots from the Tenderloin to Laurel Heights.
Prosecutors have argued that Popal drove around the city seeking out victims, even circling the block to return to "kill zones" by aiming his Honda Pilot at people prone in the street from his first try.
His defense attorney, however, suggested that Popal never intended to kill anyone and that in fact he had swerved to avoid hitting people down in the street.
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