Attempted murder charges in UNC hit-and-run

Yesterday, a recent UNC graduate drove an SUV into "the Pit" - a popular outdoor common area on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus - injuring six people. The suspect, Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, 22, of Chapel Hill, told police "it was retribution for the treatment of Muslims around the world." Police said he would be charged with nine counts of attempted murder. [ABC11TV.com; News & Observer; WRAL.com]

The Pit is a recessed brick courtyard situated between a couple of libraries, the student bookstore, and a dining hall. It is the rectangular open area, with several shade trees, pictured about 1/3 of the way from the left side of this satellite photo. [Google Maps] In the photo, you can see students sitting on the stairs around the edge of the Pit, where generations of UNC students have sat and chatted between classes. There's no way anyone could accidentally drive an SUV into the area. One also has to wonder about the timing of the attack: in North Carolina, the Duke-Carolina game (tonight at 9 PM) is at least as big as the Superbowl.

Update (3/5/06): Congrats to the Tar Heels! [ESPN]
Update (3/6/06): Suspect plans to represent self (w/ mp3 of 911 call) [News & Observer]