AUSTIN, Texas, March 13 (UPI) -- An intoxicated man drove his car through a crowd at the South by Southwest festival in Austin early Thursday morning, killing two and injuring several others.
The deceased were a man and a woman who were riding light motorcycles said Art Acevedo, chief of the Austin Police Department. Twenty-three others were injured, some with multiple internal injuries.
Drunk driver hits 30 ppl in Austin at #sxsw pic.twitter.com/T3YuvOHwBy
— Aden Zaman (@adenzaman) March 13, 2014The driver has been charged with two counts of capital murder and 23 counts of aggravated assault, said senior police officer Jermaine Kilgore.
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“I could hear the rev of the engine and people screaming,” said Yvette Ruiz, who was attending the festival with her boyfriend. “I turned around to see people falling off the hood of the car. … There was a lot of blood everywhere. People on the street. People on the sidewalk. It was barricaded. It was supposed to be safe.”
According to Kilgore, the suspect drove through barricades set up for the festival. After police attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver fled down a one-way street in the wrong direction driving through the crowd and striking pedestrians and other vehicles.
After coming to a stop the suspect attempted to flee on foot but was tasered and taken into custody. Police Lt. Brian Moon said the two people were confirmed dead on the scene and several others were taken to hospitals in the area.
"It looked like something out of a movie," said Russ Barone, who was at the festival. "A few people lying on the street ... with their friends around them trying to get them up, trying to get them back to life. Hopefully, they are."
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