An alleged drunk driver evaded police and drove through a crowd at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas early Thursday morning. Two people are dead and 23 others were injured.
Police said the man, who was driving a Toyota, went the wrong way down one street around 12:30 a.m., reports The Austin Statesman. He then turned onto Red River Road, drove two blocks, hitting pedestrians. He struck a scooter, killing both the man and woman using it. the driver didn’t stop until he hit a taxi. At that point, he tried to flee, but police tasered him. The police officer who initially tried to stop him detained him.
Senior police officer Jermaine Kilgore told The Washington Post that the suspect is going to be charged with two counts of capital murder, as well as 23 counts of aggravated assault.
The two victims were declared dead at the scene. Those injured were rushed to area hospitals.
The accident occurred by The Mohawk club, which was hosting an SXSW music event with Tyler The Creator.
Yvette Ruiz of Austin told the Washington Post that she heard the engine revving and screaming. “I turned around to see people falling off the hood of the car,” she told the site. “There was a lot of blood everywhere. People on the street. People on the sidewalk. It was barricaded. It was supposed to be safe.”
image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
