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American Morning
Baby Dies From Injuries in Santa Monica Market Accident
Aired July 18, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A tenth victim has died after a car sped through a crowded street market in Santa Monica. The driving record of the man behind the wheel, Russell Weller, is now coming under intense scrutiny.
CNN's Miguel Marquez is live at the scene for us in Santa Monica this morning -- Miguel, good morning.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Yes, the official record of Mr. Weller seems to be airtight and good, but there might be a little unofficial side that we're starting to see. Now, we're at the Third Street promenade here in Santa Monica, the heart of Santa Monica, certainly the heart of the farmer's market where this horrible, horrible crash happened just a couple of days ago. You can see behind me here the memorial to those victims is starting to grow -- the candles, the cards, the well wishes, the stuffed animals.
Some, we have some new video that has surfaced about the 86-year- old man, Russell Weller. This home video was shot in 1993. It's of a car that hit a retaining wall. The person who shot the video says the driver was, in fact, Russell Weller. And the car sitting on top of a wall appears to be the same one involved in Wednesday's deadly crash.
But the accident may never have been reported. A check of Mr. Weller's driving record with the department of motor vehicles shows that he had no citations and no accidents. And a friend of Mr. Weller's says he's a good guy and a fine driver.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERB RONEY, NEIGHBOR OF RUSSELL WELLER: I have had, driven with Russ. He's always been very cautious. Drives well. I don't think Russell has ever had a ticket.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: Now, the farmer's market will open here on the street as normal tomorrow, Saturday, and also apparently next Wednesday. And things will try to get back to normal here in Santa Monica. A vigil will be held during that farmer's market on Saturday to remember the dead and, I suppose, pray for the living -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Hey, Miguel, a quick question for you.
Have police had any comment on this new videotape so far? MARQUEZ: They have not. They have apparently not seen it. Mr. Weller's attorney has not seen it. We asked him for comment. He said he wouldn't because he hasn't seen it. Police apparently have not seen it. As I understand it, they did ask CNN for it, but that's something that we were not willing to provide them. They've certainly seen it now that it's on air. But I'm sure that they will take an interest in it because they're looking for anything that will give them an idea as to Mr. Weller's capacity to drive, essentially.
O'BRIEN: It'll be interesting to see how and if this tape does influence their deciding to charge Mr. Weller either way.
Miguel Marquez for us in Santa Monica this morning.
Thank you.
MARQUEZ: Sure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 18, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A tenth victim has died after a car sped through a crowded street market in Santa Monica. The driving record of the man behind the wheel, Russell Weller, is now coming under intense scrutiny.
CNN's Miguel Marquez is live at the scene for us in Santa Monica this morning -- Miguel, good morning.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Yes, the official record of Mr. Weller seems to be airtight and good, but there might be a little unofficial side that we're starting to see. Now, we're at the Third Street promenade here in Santa Monica, the heart of Santa Monica, certainly the heart of the farmer's market where this horrible, horrible crash happened just a couple of days ago. You can see behind me here the memorial to those victims is starting to grow -- the candles, the cards, the well wishes, the stuffed animals.
Some, we have some new video that has surfaced about the 86-year- old man, Russell Weller. This home video was shot in 1993. It's of a car that hit a retaining wall. The person who shot the video says the driver was, in fact, Russell Weller. And the car sitting on top of a wall appears to be the same one involved in Wednesday's deadly crash.
But the accident may never have been reported. A check of Mr. Weller's driving record with the department of motor vehicles shows that he had no citations and no accidents. And a friend of Mr. Weller's says he's a good guy and a fine driver.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERB RONEY, NEIGHBOR OF RUSSELL WELLER: I have had, driven with Russ. He's always been very cautious. Drives well. I don't think Russell has ever had a ticket.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: Now, the farmer's market will open here on the street as normal tomorrow, Saturday, and also apparently next Wednesday. And things will try to get back to normal here in Santa Monica. A vigil will be held during that farmer's market on Saturday to remember the dead and, I suppose, pray for the living -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Hey, Miguel, a quick question for you.
Have police had any comment on this new videotape so far? MARQUEZ: They have not. They have apparently not seen it. Mr. Weller's attorney has not seen it. We asked him for comment. He said he wouldn't because he hasn't seen it. Police apparently have not seen it. As I understand it, they did ask CNN for it, but that's something that we were not willing to provide them. They've certainly seen it now that it's on air. But I'm sure that they will take an interest in it because they're looking for anything that will give them an idea as to Mr. Weller's capacity to drive, essentially.
O'BRIEN: It'll be interesting to see how and if this tape does influence their deciding to charge Mr. Weller either way.
Miguel Marquez for us in Santa Monica this morning.
Thank you.
MARQUEZ: Sure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
