SANTA ANA, Calif. (KNX) — When a motorist accelerated onto a sidewalk in Santa Ana, Calif., Monday, three young children flew into the air.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, 26-year-old Jason Carlos Guzman of Valencia, Calif., has been charged with seven felony counts of premeditated attempted murder for barreling into the children in a Red Mazda Protégé. At the time of the incident, around 8 a.m. Monday morning, the students and their grandparents walked to Taft Elementary School.
Guzman has also been charged with: seven felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, three felony counts of hit and run with injury, three felony counts of child abuse, one felony count of possession of a flammable liquid, one misdemeanor count of brandishing a deadly weapon, and one misdemeanor count of hit and run with property damage.
Before he allegedly struck the children, Guzman told a staff member at Taft that he would use one of the school’s bathrooms. However, the staff member told him he needed to leave, and he complied.
Following that interaction, Guzman allegedly crashed into a parking barrier in the school’s lot and accelerated onto the sidewalk, where he crashed into a group of children. An 11-year-old girl, a 9-year-old girl, and a 6-year-old girl who turned 7 on Tuesday flew into the air.
Guzman is also accused of hitting an SUV occupied by a woman and her 11-year-old daughter as he fled the scene.
“Another mother who followed Guzman from the school and witnessed him hitting the children on the sidewalk got out to confront Guzman,” said the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. “Guzman is accused of brandishing a knife at her.”
Authorities said the woman ran back to her vehicle and was not hurt.
“We are thankful for all law enforcement agencies who responded to ensure everyone at the campus remained safe,” said Santa Ana Unified School District Superintendent Jerry Almendarez. “Our School District is continuing this week to have crisis counselors at Taft Elementary to support the social and emotional needs of our students and staff following this traumatic event.”
Eventually, police found Guzman “bleeding from an apparent self-inflicted stab wound to his abdomen,” and he was still hospitalized as of Wednesday. Orange County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad personnel later located several flammable liquid containers in Guzman’s car.
“The actions of a single individual have resulted in undue trauma to the victims he hit as well as countless children, parents, and school staff,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer of the incident.
“These children were innocently walking to school on the sidewalk with their grandparents and but for the grace of God, this incident did not result in a child being more seriously injured or killed. Children are the most vulnerable victims, and I will do everything in my power to protect our children whether they are at school, at church, and at home.”
The day after the incident in Santa Ana, a mass murderer shot 19 children and two teachers dead at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, marking the deadliest elementary school shooting since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre. Authorities fatally shot the 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos.
Previously, Guzman was convicted of a felony in 2017 for “assault by using force that is likely to commit great bodily injury.” He faces 49 years to life in state prison and a year in Orange County jail for his alleged actions Monday. Senior Deputy District Attorney Ann Fawaz of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.
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