LOS ANGELES – A transient who plowed his car through a crowded Venice Beach boardwalk in, killing one and injuring 17 others, was sentenced Friday to 42 years to life in prison.
Video footage of the incident showed chaos on the popular tourist destination on Aug. 20, 2013, as people tried to jump out of the way of Nathan Campbell's car. Alice Gruppioni, who was on her honeymoon, was killed.
"All you had to do was stop," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Katheryn Solorzano said, the Los Angeles Times reported. "All you had to do was walk away and you chose not to do that."
Prosecutors argued that Campbell, 38, was upset about an earlier drug deal when he drove the sedan through the crowd.
The incident was captured on video from several angles.
Security cameras captured shoppers and vendors diving out of the way as the 2008 Dodge Avenger swerved through the crowd.
Campbell turned himself in to police two hours after the incident.
According to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, Campbell was convicted of 17 counts of assault with a deadly weapon and 10 counts of leaving the scene of an accident.
According to the Associated Press, Campbell's attorney had argued in court that his client was behind the wheel of the car, but had tried to avoid people and therefore should not be found guilty of murder.
Campbell apologized for the incident as he read a letter in the courtroom, acknowledging that it was "a nightmare that I am responsible for causing."
He said he made a mistake in shifting gears before the crash, and that he hoped the victims' families would find "some small measure of peace."