The Daily Tar Heel reports:

A University graduate careened his silver Jeep Grand Cherokee through the Pit on Friday about noon, striking nine pedestrians and sending six to UNC Hospitals.

Mohammed Reza Taheriazar, 23, who graduated in 2005, is in custody at the Department of Public Safety after turning himself in after the incident. He was born May 5, 1983, according to University registrar records. He was a psychology and philosophy major. He was published in The Charlotte Observer for dean’s list honors in spring 2005.

At about 2 p.m. a bomb threat was called into the University Commons apartments, at 303 Smith Level Road. State Bureau of Investigations officials entered the building at 3:03 p.m.

Capt. Joel Booker, of the Carrboro Police Department, said they are not sure how the threat is related to the campus incident.

Chapel Hill police spokeswoman Jane Cousins said a Mohammed Reza Taheri-Azar has a prior arrest. He was arrested June 16, 2003 on one count of resisting arrest and reckless driving.

Confederate Yankee Bob Owens has more.

North Carolina blogger Jon Sanders at The Locker Room:

It’s not too much of a stretch to think that this is related to the “Mohammed” cartoon flap at UNC.

WRAL:

Authorities say 23-year-old Mohammed Reza Taheriazar drove a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee into The Pit at the UNC-Chapel Hill campus around noon Friday, injuring five students and a visiting scholar.

Police said they would charge Taheriazar, who was a UNC student as recently as Fall 2005, with multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. Authorities are not releasing a motive, but they did say the incident was intentional.

Six people were taken to UNC Hospitals with minor injuries, hospital spokesman Tom Hughes said. He said he didn’t expect any of them to be admitted. Three other people declined treatment on the scene, according to police.

Authorities later found the vehicle on Plant Road near Franklin Street and Taheriazar was taken into custody. Capt. Brian Curran with the Chapel Hill police told The Daily Tar Heel that Taheriazar called 911 on himself.

“He kinda gave himself up,” UNC Department of Public Safety Officer Herbert Bryant told The Daily Tar Heel.

A student who witnessed the event, said that the SUV was going between 40 and 45 mph when it hit the students at the Pit, which is located in an open area surrounded by two libraries, a dining hall and the Frank Porter Graham Student Union on campus.

Several witnesses saw the SUV as it made its way through that part of campus.

“He was speeding up and swerving to hit people. One person got knocked out of a wheelchair, and he didn’t care,” said student Lauren Westate, who saw the accident.

comments (0)   trackbacks (12)