Driver who deliberately plowed into pedestrians at Kohl’s was high on drugs, prosecutors say
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The man who crashed his vehicle into a Kohl’s in Huntington Beach last week is now facing six charges of attempted murder.
Tuan Miller, 54, of Anaheim, was arrested last Friday after he allegedly crashed into the front of the department store at the Bella Terra Mall.
Miller fled the scene, but was later arrested, at which point it was determined he was under the influence of an undisclosed drug.
On Friday, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer released new information about the crash, including that it’s being investigated as an intentional act.
Miller is accused plowing into a group of people who were standing outside the store and listening to a group of singers. He allegedly drove onto the sidewalk, hitting two women before revving his engine and accelerating toward three other people. One of the victims became lodged in the front of his car as it crashed through the store’s glass doors.
Spitzer said the decision to get behind the wheel while intoxicated is “never the right decision,” saying it often has catastrophic and deadly consequences.
“We as a society have to wake up and realize that driving under the influence is something we must take seriously, and when people made the decision to do drugs and get behind the wheel there must be consequences,” Spitzer said.
The District Attorney also accused juries of becoming “complacent” when it comes to convicting defendants charged with driving under the influence of marijuana or other drugs.
Miller faces six felony counts of attempted murder and one felony count of driving under the influence of a drug causing injury. He also faces one felony count for vandalism and one count for evading a police officer.
If convicted on all counts, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
He is due back in a Westminster court on Nov. 3, the DA’s Office said.
Kohl’s reported damages were estimated to be in the range of $425,000.
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