Driver Accused of Scaring Hundreds On Beach Had Twice Legal Limit: Atty.

A man who drove through heavy Pacific Beach crowds on the 4th of July had a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit when he hit several people and scared hundreds more, according to prosecutors.

Villiami Pomale, 45, from Northern California, is accused of scaring hundreds of people near Pacific Beach when he drove on the sand for nearly half a mile. At his arraignment Tuesday, a judge raised his bail from $30,000 to $100,000. He faces five felony counts and five misdemeanors and could be in prison for up to six years and eight months if convicted.

Prosecutors said Pomale was in a crash around 6 p.m. that evening on Mission Boulevard but was afraid of being arrested for driving drunk. Instead, he sped down a street leading to the bay, hit a pole, but managed to get onto the beach. He drove on the sand for almost half a mile.

San Diego Police say he entered the bay at San Jose and drove along the water all the way to Fanuel.

"He hit four people but there were thousands of people on the beach that day. One of the police officers, basically they could not drive their vehicle on the beach safely and he was driving on the boardwalk, up to 40 or 50 miles an hour," said Karra Reedy, Deputy District Attorney. "There were over 50 calls to 9-1-1 based just upon his driving. The Fourth of July is the busiest beach day in San Diego."

Witnesses at the scene say they were terrified and ran for cover, grabbing their kids to get them out of the way. The Deputy DA said there were more than 50 calls from people that day, complaining about his driving.

Robert Thele was on the beach Saturday and saw the incident play out. He says the driver was going way too fast, hitting several abandoned bikes and scaring a lot of people.

“He could’ve hurt people very easily,” Thele said.

Officers say they eventually caught up with Pomale and took him into custody. He faces charges of driving under the influence, hit and run and assault with a deadly weapon.