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# Year in review: Top stories in Santa Monica of 2003
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/year-in-review-top-stories-in-santa-monica-of-2003/
- Published: 2003-12-31T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T03:25:52.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import

The two-and-a-half block stretch looked a like a war zone — debris strewn everywhere, bodies lying in the middle of the street, people screaming, emergency workers frantically responding and helicopters swooping onto Wilshire Boulevard to take the injured to area hospitals.

And as the dead were covered and the depth of the tragedy sunk in, the skies opened up and a rare summer downpour added another layer of sorrow that seemed to magnify the pall of the afternoon. Within two hours, the clouds retreated, and the sun again emerged.

Weller apparently hit the gas pedal instead of the brake after he rear-ended a car at the intersection of Fourth Street and Arizona Avenue. It was an accident of unbelievable consequences. In the days and weeks following, Santa Monica pulled together as a community by holding a series of memorials, giving people an opportunity to grieve for the injured and dead. The local business community also pitched in and raised more than $200,000 for victims and their families.

After a six-month investigation, the Santa Monica Police Department recommended in December that the elderly Santa Monica resident be charged with manslaughter. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office is currently reviewing the case. Evidence shows that Weller was traveling at an unsafe speed, which was ruled the primary cause of the accident. Of the more than 200 witnesses, no one reported seeing Weller’s car brake lights illuminate. His Buick Le Sabre finally stopped as a result of rolling friction and the objects trapped beneath it — including a body, the final fatality. There were more than 100 collisions during the incident.

Weller, reportedly in poor health, has remained secluded in his home north of Montana Avenue since the accident. The Department of Motor Vehicles suspended his driver’s license, and the remaining years of his life are likely to be spent in turmoil as pending civil litigation and expected criminal court proceedings linger.

City Hall has also become a target in litigation, as the assets of Weller, a retired wholesale grocer, are likely to be easily exhausted.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 31, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/123103.pdf?ref=smdp.com)