Nathan Louis Campbell Held In Deadly Hit-And-Run That Killed Alice Gruppioni On Venice Beach Boardwalk
Nathan Louis Campbell is behind bars Monday after he couldn’t come up with $1 million in bail connected with his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run accident on the Venice Beach boardwalk that killed an Italian woman on her honeymoon.
Campbell, a native of Colorado who was believed to be living in his car, allegedly plowed into Alice Gruppioni, 32, Saturday night in Venice, Calif. Gruppioni died in the accident while her husband, Christian Gruppioni, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Ten other pedestrians were injured in the accident.
Campbell, 38, was allegedly driving his blue sedan at speeds topping 60 mph, according to witnesses, who told the Los Angeles Times that the driver appeared to be intent on hitting pedestrians. Eleven pedestrians on the boardwalk were injured in the accident, according to NBC News.
Gruppioni’s family was devastated.
"She was robbed of her life while living her dream visit to California with her husband," her aunt, Katia Gruppioni, told NBC Los Angeles in a text message. “This was a tremendous injustice. Alice was a remarkable young lady making her personal dreams come true."
Campbell allegedly abandoned the sedans shortly after the accident, but turned himself in to authorities in Santa Monica, Calif., about an hour later. He asked officers about the number of people hurt in the accident, according to the Times.
Witness Mustafa Balci said the vehicle was speeding and hit several objects before plowing ahead.
“If I was sitting a few inches to the left or to the right, I would have died,” Balci told the Times.
Another witness, Neqo Habibi, said the car was swerving before heading into a crowd of pedestrians on the Venice Beach boardwalk.
"I seen [sic] a girl ... she was latched onto the hood ... she got shook off," Habibi told NBC Los Angeles. "He swerved two times and she rolled off and was heading straight for us.
NBC Los Angeles reported that the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run had Colorado plates and that a bomb squad was called in after the accident as a precaution.
The news outlet said someone with the same name as Campbell showed up in Los Angeles Superior Court records that indicated they were convicted in 2002 for resisting arrest and public drunkenness. It’s unclear whether those court records belong to the same Campbell.
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