On February 23, 2001, a vehicular homicide and assault occurred in the student community of

Isla Vista, California Isla Vista is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Barbara County, California in the United States. As of 2020 census, the community had a population of 15,500. The majority of residents are college students at ...

, near the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the ...

(UCSB) campus. Four people were killed and a fifth, who suffered critical injuries, died in October 2016. The driver, David Attias (son of television director

Dan Attias Daniel Attias (born December 4, 1951) is an American television director and producer. He is also director of his only feature film '' Silver Bullet'' from 1985, based on the novella by Stephen King. Attias' career has spanned four decades, dur ...

), was ruled legally insane and sentenced to 60 years in a mental institution. In September 2012, the court approved Attias' release after 10 years.

Details

On the evening of February 23, 2001, just after 11:00 p.m., UCSB student David Attias, the 18-year-old son of television director

, drove his father's 1991

Saab 9000 The Saab 9000 is an automobile produced by the Swedish company Saab from 1984 to 1998. Representing the company's foray into the executive car scene, it was developed as a result of the successes of the turbocharged 99 and 900 models. The 9000 r ...

down the 6500 block of Sabado Tarde Road at a speed of 50 to 65 miles per hour. Four pedestrians were killed and one was critically injured. According to a police statement, "All five victims were thrown forward, some being knocked out of their shoes and socks." According to witnesses, Attias got out and yelled "I am the Angel of Death!" He continued to taunt a growing crowd, until he was subdued by the first CHP officer to arrive on the scene. In the initial aftermath, it was unclear if Attias was affected by taking drugs, or if the attack was intentional. Blood tests later showed that Attias was under the influence of marijuana and

Lidocaine Lidocaine, also known as lignocaine and sold under the brand name Xylocaine among others, is a local anesthetic of the amino amide type. It is also used to treat ventricular tachycardia. When used for local anaesthesia or in nerve blocks, li ...

, but neither were deemed significant to the incident.

Victims

Four people were killed in the assault: 20-year-old UCSB students Nicholas Bourdakis and Christopher Divis, 27-year-old San Francisco resident Elie Israel, and 20-year-old

Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) is a public community college in Santa Barbara, California. It opened in 1909 and is located on a campus. History Santa Barbara City College was established by the Santa Barbara High School District in 1909, ma ...

student Ruth Levy. Albert Arthur Levy, 27, brother to Ruth, was critically injured but survived. His injuries consisted of crushed legs and a severely battered head, and he died in 2016 after having seizures for years caused by the injury.

Aftermath

Trial

Attias was charged with four counts of murder, four counts of vehicular manslaughter with

gross negligence Gross negligence is the "lack of slight diligence or care" or "a conscious, voluntary act or omission in reckless disregard of a legal duty and of the consequences to another party." In some jurisdictions a person injured as a result of gross negl ...

, and five counts of felony driving under the influence. Residents of his hall told police and the campus paper that Attias had been known for his erratic behavior, including stalking another student. Several students referred to him as "Crazy Dave" and "Tweaker." The case received additional media attention because David Attias is the son of Dan Attias, a prominent Hollywood TV director. Attias pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and his trial sparked significant interest. On June 11, 2002, Attias was convicted in a jury trial of four counts of second-degree murder. He was acquitted of driving under the influence. One week later, the same jury found that Attias was legally insane. This resulted in a sentence of up to 60 years at

Patton State Hospital Patton State Hospital is a forensic psychiatric hospital in San Bernardino, California, United States. Though the hospital has a Patton, California address, it lies entirely within the San Bernardino city limits. Operated by the California Departm ...

San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cens ...

Memorial

A memorial to the victims was installed in Little Acorn Park. The park borders the intersection where Attias struck and killed them.

Release

While at Patton, Attias was treated for

substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

and

pervasive developmental disorder The diagnostic category pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), as opposed to specific developmental disorders (SDD), is a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and com ...

. In May 2012, Attias asked the courts to transfer him from Patton to an outpatient psychiatric facility, stating he has his bipolar disorder under control. The news of his request prompted expressions of concern about his potential risk of relapse or danger from survivors and family of his victims at court hearings on this proposed action. Testimony was heard from mental health professionals. Attias was given a conditional release from Patton State and transferred to a supervised "unlocked outpatient treatment program" on September 4, 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isla Vista killings 2001 in California 2001 murders in the United States Attacks in the United States in 2001 Crimes in California February 2001 events in the United States Mass murder in 2001 Mass murder in California Mass murder in the United States Vehicular rampage in the United States