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Venice Hit-And-Run Driver Had Arrest Records In Multiple States
Nathan Campbell, the man in custody for Saturday's deadly Venice Beach boardwalk rampage, had been arrested in several different states and only arrived in Los Angeles a few weeks ago, the L.A. Times is reporting.
The car he was driving as he mowed down 12 people was one he had just purchased from a dealership in Littleton, Colorado, the newspaper reports.
Campbell, 38, had been living in his car at the time of his arrest. He knew the L.A. area and appeared to have bounced between here and Colorado for the past few years. As a teenager, he had stayed on and off at L.A.'s Covenant House, which provides services and housing for homeless youth, the Times reports.
Authorities are still putting together a profile, but he's racked up a string of arrests for petty crimes in Colorado and Florida, including an April 2008 reckless driving arrest in Panama City Beach, according to the Times.
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Later that year, he was arrested in Denver for trespassing and disturbing the peace, then arrested again in February of 2009 for allegedly shoplifting from a Virgin Megastore at a Denver mall. He returned to the same mall that July, where he was arrested for suspicion of trespassing after refusing to leave a movie theater.
Each time, he received only a few days in jail, except for the last, in which he was assigned to a sheriff's work program.
Campbell lived in Colorado as recently as last year, CBS2 reports. He was evicted from his apartment in Denver for not paying $655 in rent in March 2012, records show.
According to CBS, he's also been arrested for theft, building an illegal fire and obstructing a police officer. In May 2012, he was reportedly arrested in Santa Monica for public intoxication.
Sources tell police that Campbell had a history of drug and alcohol addiction. He had supposedly been sober for some time but had recently relapsed.
Campbell reportedly asked officers "How many people did I hit?" when he turned himself in two hours after the incident. He has still not given a motive, but witnesses say he was intentionally trying to hit as many people as possible during his brief but catastrophic spree.
One person, newlywed Alice Gruppioni, died as a result of Campbell's rampage. Eleven more, including Gruppioni's husband of two weeks, were injured, one critically.
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"He swerves back towards her and purposely hit her," a local resident who said they saw Campbell run down Gruppioni told CBS2.
The Los Angeles County district attorney's office was expected to file charges against Campbell today. He is still being held on $1 million bail.
Related:
Driver In Deadly Venice Beach Hit-And-Run Was A Transient, Motive Still Not Known
"Venice Boardwalk Hit-And-Run Victim Identified As Italian Woman On Honeymoon
Councilman Wants Tighter Barriers At Site Of Deadly Venice Hit-And-Run
'Smiling' Driver Kills 1, Injures 11 After Plowing Through Crowded Venice Boardwalk
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