Austin Allen Eis, the 24-year-old accused of killing a 15-year-old Westlake High School student when intentionally driving into a group of teens last month, pleaded not guilty Friday to numerous charges, including murder.
Eis faces 24 counts, mostly felonies. Twelve of the charges had been filed after Eis initially appeared in court on April 20, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said.
The string of alleged crimes unfolded over about an hour on the afternoon of April 18. At a Simi Valley Walmart, Eis reportedly stabbed and pepper sprayed a male employee and tried to drag off a female employee, lunging with the knife at two employees who tried to intervene, authorities say. He fled in a white Toyota Camry.
He then reportedly broke into a family member’s home in Camarillo where he threatened multiple victims with a knife and brandished a firearm before fleeing.
At around 3:40 p.m. that day, roughly an hour after the Walmart incident, he allegedly drove the Camry into a group of students standing at a bus stop across from the Westlake High campus in Thousand Oaks.
More: Driver hits Westlake High School students in Thousand Oaks, killing one
Wesley Welling, 15, was killed and three other students were injured.
The incident made news around the world and a GoFundMe campaign launched to raise funeral expenses for Welling brought in more than $257,000. Organizers have stopped taking new donations.
Friday’s arraignment had been continued from April 20, when Eis was initially charged but didn’t enter a plea.
In addition to the murder charge, prosecutors filed 14 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, five counts of exhibiting a deadly weapon, two burglary charges and one count each of false imprisonment and use of tear gas. Senior Deputy DA Amber Lee is prosecuting the case.
During Friday’s hearing before Judge Nancy Ayers, Eis appeared via video conferencing, court records show. He was represented by Public Defender Melanie Miles.
He remains in Ventura County jail custody without bail. The next hearing, an early disposition conference, is set for the afternoon of July 19 in courtroom 12.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Man accused in Westlake High crash and Walmart stabbing enters plea