2001 Isla Vista killings

On the night of February 23, 2001, just after 11:00 p.m., 18-year-old UCSB student David Attias drove his father's 1991 Saab 9000 down the 6500 block of Sabado Tarde Road in Isla Vista, California, at speeds estimated between 50 and 65 miles per hour, striking a group of pedestrians. Four people were killed: UCSB students Nicholas Bourdakis and Christopher Divis, both 20; San Francisco resident Elie Israel, 27; and Santa Barbara City College student Ruth Levy, 20. A fifth victim, Ruth Levy's brother Albert Arthur Levy, 27, suffered critical leg and head injuries. He survived the initial attack but experienced seizures for years afterward and died in October 2016 as a result of those injuries.

Witnesses reported that after exiting the vehicle, Attias shouted "I am the Angel of Death!" and continued to taunt a gathering crowd until he was subdued by the first California Highway Patrol officer to arrive. It was initially unclear whether Attias was under the influence of drugs or whether the act was intentional. Blood tests later showed he had marijuana and Lidocaine in his system, though neither was deemed significant to the incident.

David Attias is the son of television director Dan Attias. Residents of his dormitory told police and the campus newspaper that he had displayed erratic behavior prior to the incident, including stalking another student. The case drew heightened media attention in part because of his father's Hollywood profile.

Attias was charged with four counts of murder, four counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and five counts of felony driving under the influence. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. On June 11, 2002, a jury convicted him of four counts of second-degree murder while acquitting him of driving under the influence charges. One week later, the same jury found that Attias was legally insane at the time of the killings, resulting in a sentence of up to 60 years at Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino rather than a conventional prison term.

While hospitalized, Attias was treated for substance abuse, bipolar disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder. In May 2012, he petitioned the courts to be transferred from Patton to an outpatient psychiatric facility, citing that his bipolar disorder was under control. Court hearings on the request included testimony from mental health professionals, as well as expressions of concern from survivors and victims' family members about the risk of relapse or danger. Attias was granted conditional release from Patton State and transferred to a supervised, unlocked outpatient treatment program on September 4, 2012.

A memorial to the victims was later installed in Little Acorn Park, which borders the intersection where the killings occurred.