Sunday, 4 August 2013

Victim identified in fatal California boardalk hit-run that injured 11 others

Snapchat / AP

In this image take from a security camera, pedestrians scatter as a car drives along the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles on Saturday.

By Gil Aegerter and Hasani Gittens, NBC News

The woman killed by a hit-and-run driver Saturday in Los Angeles was the daughter of a prominent Italian businessman and was on her honeymoon after having been married for just two weeks, Italian media reported Sunday.

The woman was killed and 11 other people were injured when a car plowed into pedestrians walking along the Venice Beach boardwalk, fire officials and police said.


Los Angeles police said Sunday that Nathan Campbell, 35, of Los Angeles, was arrested and charged with one count of murder after he fled the scene in a dark sedan. Security camera video captured a dark car speeding off the boardwalk as people scrambled out of the way about 6 p.m. (9 p.m. ET) at the end of Dudley Avenue, where it intersects Ocean Front Walk just before the beach.

Bail was set at $1 million, although it was unclear what motive, if any, the man may have had, officials said.

Los Angeles County coroner's officials identified the dead woman as Alice Gruppioni, 32, of Italy, NBCLosAngeles reported.

The Italian news agency ANSA reported that Gruppioni was married July 20 to Christian Casadei of Cesena, Italy. Casadei suffered minor injuries and was at his wife's side when she died, it said.

In a telephone interview, the Italian consul in Los Angeles told ANSA that Casadei said he and his new wife were strolling along the boardwalk on their honeymoon when the car came barreling through.

"It's a tragedy. There's nothing more to say," Casadei said, the agency reported. "We were walking, we were happy, we were on our honeymoon and everything, and suddenly everything changed.

"I still can't believe it, and I don't even remember exactly what happened. It's all very confusing."

Gruppioni was the daughter of Valerio Gruppioni, president of Group Sira, based in Bologna, one of the world's largest producers of radiators for heating. Bologna FC, a club in the top flight of Italian soccer, confirmed her death in a statement offering condolences to Valerio Gruppioni, a former president of the club.

"Alice Gruppioni, daughter of Valerio Gruppioni, a long-time executive of the Red and Blue, died Saturday night in a car accident in the United States. President (Albano) Guaraldi and all of Bologna FC are with the Gruppioni family in this time of unspeakable pain."

In a statement Sunday, Italian soccer giant AC Milan, one of the world's premier clubs, expressed its "condolences to former Bologna president Valerio Gruppioni and his family following the passing of his daughter Alice."

Ten other people were injured, two of them with minor injuries, Los Angeles fire spokesman Brian Humphrey told NBCLosAngeles. They were "all believed to have been pedestrians on the boardwalk," according to a tweet from the LAFD.

Witnesses told NBCLA that the driver of the car ? described as a 2008 to 2010 black or dark blue Dodge Avenger ? seemed to aim at pedestrians as he swerved on and off the curb.

"The vehicle appeared to be moving purposefully down the boardwalk, according to witnesses," Humphrey?told the Los Angeles Times.?

The Venice Beach boardwalk is one of Southern California's main visitor attractions, featuring hundreds of street vendors, performers, beachgoers and tourists on the crowded stretch of galleries, restaurants and tattoo shops.

Watch US News videos on NBCNews.com

M. Alex Johnson of NBC News contributed to this report.

This story was originally published on

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