The man who 'deliberately' drove his car onto a sidewalk and plowed into a group of eight pedestrians - including a 13-year-old child - on Tuesday has been identified.

Sunnyvale Police named the suspect behind the horrific crash as Isaiah Joel Peoples, 35, who is a resident of Sunynvale.

He was behind the wheel of a black 2012 Toyota Corolla that crashed into a group of people waiting to cross the street at 6.40pm on Tuesday evening.

He plowed into the group standing at a busy intersection between El Camino Real and Sunnyvale Saratoga Road near a mall when the driver 'drove into the crosswalk, then onto the sidewalk where he continued to hit pedestrians,' Police Captain Jim Choi said.

The crowd was standing at the side of the road waiting to cross and reportedly had the signal to walk, when the car sped towards them and didn't stop until it smashed into a tree.

When cops first arrived to the scene three of the victims were found in critical condition. Eight of the pedestrians injured were taken to the hospital, one of them was just 13 years old.

A car plowed into a group of pedestrians in Sunnyvale in Silicon Valley on Tuesday evening

The car deliberately drove onto a sidewalk and into a group of pedestrians, injuring eight people including a 13-year-old child

The black 2012 Toyota Corolla rammed into a group of people waiting to cross at the busy intersection between El Camino Real and Sunnyvale Saratoga Road

The man in the car was arrested after he plowed though the group and smashed into a tree

'It looks like, based upon the preliminary investigation, that a driver deliberately drove into a group of eight pedestrians,' said Capt. Jim Choi of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety.

'The driver is in custody. This is an isolated event in the sense that we don't have anyone outstanding.'

Choi told ABC: 'We do have witness statements that show that vehicle did not attempt to slow down or brake.'

He added, 'The scene itself doesn't show any evidence of braking.'

All of the victims were rushed to hospital and the Department of Public Safety told CBS some had been seriously hurt.

Choi told CBS it was too early to rule out a terrorist motive.

The eight victims were taken to a hospital following the crash

It happened just around 6:30 pm at El Camino and Sunnyvale Saratoga Road in Sunnyvale, CA

A twisted bike could be seen at the side of the road where the accident happened

Witnesses say there was no apparent attempt by the driver to avoid a collision or to stop

The group were struck while crossing El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, a city just outside Mountain View and San Jose.

The driver came to a stop when his dark sedan smashed into a tree where its hood and front windshield crumpled and shattered heavily in the collision.

In addition, debris including mangled bicycles could be seen strewn across the pavement and road.

The remains of two mangled bicycles evidence that something appalling occurred here

At a news conference officials said some patients had serious injuries, but their conditions were unknown. Pictured is the intersection where the collision occurred

Police and fire crews at the scene on Tuesday evening as they rushed to secure the crash site

Police were on the scene for much of Tuesday evening trying to work out what happened

A possible motive is being investigated and whether the driver may have known any of his victims.

The police chief said there was no ongoing threat to the community and the driver was their only suspect.

The involvement of alcohol or drugs is a further avenue of the investigation.

The driver has not been named and has so far not been charged.

The roads were closed for much of the evening as police carried out an investigation