> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Witnesses take the stand EYEWITNESS: ‘Fender bender’ may have sparked the market tragedy - URL: https://www.smdp.com/witnesses-take-the-stand-eyewitness-fender-bender-may-have-sparked-the-market-tragedy/ - Published: 2006-09-14T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T21:24:14.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Business, Downtown, #archive-import *After three years, witnesses fuzzy on some details* DOWNTOWN LA — The 89-year-old Santa Monica man on trial for killing 10 people when he plowed through a crowded Farmers’ Market more than three years ago seemed to be fleeing the scene of a “minor fender bender” just moments before his burgundy Buick LaSabre sent bodies flying into the air, witnesses for the prosecution said Wednesday. During the second day of testimony, six witnesses told a jury of four women and eight men that George Russell Weller gripped his steering wheel tightly in the “10 and 2 position,” crouched forward in his driver’s seat and deliberately drove around a gold Mercedes-Benz he rear-ended on the corner of Arizona Avenue and Fourth street. He then hit the gas, accelerating the car through an intersection and into the market, packed with roughly 300 shoppers. Blue tents used by grocers toppled, and bodies were tossed into the air as Weller continued to drive through the market at a high rate of speed, witnesses said. “Instantly I realized something horrible was going to happen,” said Michael Alexakis, a middle-aged man with black hair and glasses who had just finished withdrawing money from Wells Fargo when he looked and saw Weller drive toward the direction of the market, about 50 feet behind him.“I knew he was headed right into the market … I just put my head in my hands and screamed. I forced myself to look up, and my focus was caught by a body … literally tumbling through the air, like 10 to 15 feet.” Deputy District Attorney Ann Ambrose called Alexakis and other witnesses to the stand to support her claim that Weller, then 86, caused the carnage that ensued at the market and that it wasn’t a tragic accident caused by “pedal error” and the rapid, forceful deployment of an air bag, as his defense attorneys claim. “Did you see an air bag?” Ambrose, a pregnant, fair-skinned red head asked Alexakis during roughly 45 minutes of testimony. “I did not see an air bag deployed,” Alexakis answered. “His hands where on the wheel. He was leaning forward looking straight ahead.” Defense attorneys contend Weller, who was not present in the courtroom because of his failing health, made a tragic mistake, one that continues to haunt him. They spent the day trying to discredit the prosecution’s witnesses. During cross-examination, some witnesses, including Benjamin Bringham, found it difficult to recall exact details. “The one caveat is that I lack confidence in some of my recollections of the incident,” said Bringham, who was called by the defense. Even though the prosecution was still presenting its case, Judge Johnson allowed Bringham to take the stand because of scheduling conflicts. Bringham said he was walking with a friend north along an alley just off Arizona Avenue when the accident occurred. Just as he stepped into the street, he heard a loud cracking noise, he testified. He then looked up and saw a burgundy sedan driving toward him. It was then that he and his friend made their way across the street and saw the sedan drive by them into the market. “I wish I had more confidence,” said Bringham, who characterized his accuracy level as “low” when asked by Ambrose. Other witnesses standing at various vantage points provided stories with more detail. There was an elderly woman standing on the southeast corner of Arizona and Fourth; a 20-something brunette woman just feet from the initial collision; and a young married couple — the husband in a crosswalk on Arizona while the wife sat in a car parked illegally just south of the intersection. Tricia Robbins, the brunette woman, said she had her eyes trained on the Mercedes-Benz as she walked east on Arizona Avenue, having just come from the market. “I always watch cars turning in front of me,” Robbins said. “People drive crazy in Los Angeles.” Robbins said once she made eye contact with the driver, she continued to walk until she was in the middle of the crosswalk. It was then that she heard a thud in what must have come from “a minor fender bender.” Robbins said she looked at the driver of the Mercedes and then through the car to Weller, whom she could not identify at the time. She said she knew the driver was an older man with white hair. “The driver took off,” Robbins said of Weller, whom attorneys from both sides agree was the driver of the burgundy sedan. “I thought it was a hit-and-run.” Defense attorney Mark Borenstein objected to Robbin’s comments about the accident being a hit-and-run, and the objection was granted. Nearly every witness who testified said they thought it was a hit-and-run, and each time Borenstein voiced his objection. Judge Johnson instructed jurors to disregard any statements in which the witnesses gave their opinion about the motive behind Weller’s actions. During cross-examination, Robbins said she could not recall whether or not she saw several pairs of brake lights following the accident. Weller’s attorneys also presented prior testimony by Robbins in which she stated she was looking “in 12 different directions” during the accident. “They were 12 different places, but all part and parcel of the same,” she said. However, during further questioning, Robbins said of other details, “It’s been a long time … three years … I don’t remember.” Testimony is expected to continue throughout the week, with more witnesses to the accident with the Mercedes scheduled for today. Attorneys for both sides said the trial could last six to seven weeks. Weller is charged with 10 counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. If convicted on all charges, he could face a maximum sentence of 18 years in prison, making him one of the oldest inmates in state history. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 14, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/091406.pdf?ref=smdp.com)