The man suspected of mowing people down during a hit-and-run spree in August 2006 , Omeed Aziz Popal, 30, pleaded not guilty today in San Francisco Superior Court. Really.
For those of you who don't remember, Popal allegedly went after 16 pedestrians with his SUV during a 15-minute death span on the streets and sidewalks of northern San Francisco. Accused of a whopping 16 counts of attempted murder--including the murder of 54-year-old Stephen Jay Wilson, who he reportedly killed in Fremont just prior to his rampage--he already a confessed to the killings to police. But according to the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, Popal "suffers from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and auditory command hallucinations." (That is to say, he hears voices. Which we hear is an excruciating disorder.)
CBS 5 goes on to say that the will return to court on Feb, 26 "in order to set further dates in the case, including possibly setting a trial date."