LOS ANGELES, California (AFP) - A 38-year-old man was charged with murder on Sunday after allegedly slamming his car into tourists on California's famous Venice Beach boardwalk, killing an Italian woman on her honeymoon and injuring 11 others, police said.

Nathan Campbell was charged with murder early Sunday and held on US$1 million (S$1.27 million) bail after the horrific incident at the popular Los Angeles tourist haunt.

Witnesses of the crash, which occurred at around 6pm local time (9am Singapore time) on Saturday, said the driver of the high-powered Dodge Avenger appeared to deliberately aim at pedestrians.

Italian woman Alice Gruppioni, 32, died following the crash, coroner's investigator Kristy McCracken said. An autopsy was pending.

Another victim remained in critical condition, two were listed as serious while eight other victims were being treated for less-serious injuries, Los Angeles Police Department officer Andy Nieman said.

The driver of the car allegedly fled the scene immediately after the crash.

The suspect later turned himself in for questioning at Santa Monica police station where he was formally arrested, Nieman said.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene as security camera footage of the incident emerged on Sunday.

"A car plowed through the boardwalk," Daniel Regidor, 50, told the Los Angeles Times.

"People screaming, running. I was half a mile from the scene, but you could see just this mass of people trying to get out of the way.... Just a lot of people screaming.... It was horrible.

"I saw somebody flying up in the air. When I came upon the scene, there were a bunch of people on the ground, bloodied."

Venice Beach boardwalk is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Los Angeles, and is packed daily with visitors browsing shops and stalls. It is also home to "Muscle Beach", an outdoor gym set beside the Pacific Ocean popular with bodybuilders.