Rashad Charjuan Owens has been identified as the suspect who tried to escape from police in Austin, Texas early Thursday morning. During the pursuit, police say he plowed through a crowd of South By Southwest festival attendees, killing two and injuring 23 others. A report claims that Owens is an aspiring rapper who had hoped to perform at the festival.
Police believe that the driver was under the influence of alcohol. Initially, Owens escaped an officer and drove down Red River Road for two blocks. He allegedly hit and killed two people on a scooter, then crashed into a taxi. He tried to flee again, but was tasered by police and arrested.
The Austin American-Statesman spoke with Owens’ brother, Lamar Wilson, who said that Owens, 21, raps with the name KillingAllBeatz or K.A.B254. He lives in Killeen, Texas and had a performance set for 1 a.m. a club. Wilson said that his brother was not familiar with Austin’s streets.
“I can’t grasp it. I can’t believe it,” Wilson told the paper, noting that he and his mother were shocked by the news. “Everything was going good. We were just there trying to perform, and it made a whole other turn.”
Owens also has a criminal record, notes The Hollywood Reporter. He was arrested for several misdemeanors in Killeen and did two 60-day stints in jail.
image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
