UPDATED 5:26 P.M.
(Reuters) – A Texas man accused of crashing his car into a group of pedestrians near a Brownsville homeless shelter housing migrants, killing eight people, has been charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault, police said on Monday.
The driver, identified as 34-year-old George Alvarez, ran a red light, lost control of his sports utility vehicle, and struck 18 people as the car flipped on its side, Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda said.
Alvarez attempted to flee but was held down by several bystanders, Sauceda said. Investigators were waiting for toxicology reports on Alvarez to determine if he was impaired at the time of the crash.
Police have not ruled out the possibility that the crash was intentional, Sauceda said.
Alvarez appeared briefly in court on Monday wearing a white jumpsuit, responding “yes, sir” to questions from a judge. He was ordered held on $3.6 million bail. Police said Alvarez has an extensive criminal history.
Investigators are working to identify the victims, some of whom were Venezuelan migrants.
“It has been a very tiresome process but we are deeply committed to doing and accomplishing,” Sauceda said, adding that his department was working with the Venezuelan government and other embassies.
In a statement on Monday, the Venezuelan government called for an investigation to determine if the incident was motivated by hate or xenophobia.
Brownsville, a city of some 165,000 people on the U.S. border with Mexico, and other communities are bracing for a likely surge in migrants when a COVID-19 restriction known as Title 42 is set to end on Thursday.
Title 42, in place since 2020, allows U.S. authorities to quickly expel migrants caught crossing the border illegally, without giving them the chance to seek U.S. asylum.
Reuters could not immediately determine whether Alvarez had retained a lawyer.
A video circulating online purporting to show the crash shows a speeding SUV plowing into a row of people sitting on a curb. A second video appears to show victims lying on the ground, some bloodied and writhing, others motionless.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago, Tyler Clifford in Washington and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
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(Reuters) -A Texas man accused of mowing down a group of pedestrians with his SUV near a Brownsville homeless shelter that attends to migrants was charged on Monday with eight counts of manslaughter, police said.
Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda said during a news conference that the driver, identified as George Alvarez, 34, ran a red light, lost control of his vehicle and hit 18 people.
Responding to a question from a reporter, Sauceda said investigators have not ruled out that the crash was intentional. He also said that investigators were waiting for toxicology reports.
The driver attempted to flee the scene after impact but was held down by several bystanders, Sauceda said.
Alvarez, who was also charged with 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, has an extensive criminal history, the chief said. Alvarez was being held on $3.6 million.
A video circulating online purporting to show the crash shows a speeding SUV plowing into a row of people sitting on the curb. A second video of the aftermath appears to show victims lying on the ground, some bloodied and writhing, while others lay motionless.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
The city of Brownsville, on the border with Mexico, is one of the places expecting an influx of migrants when COVID-era restrictions under Title 42 expire on Thursday.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago)
(Reuters) -At least seven pedestrians were killed and several others injured on Sunday when an SUV mowed down people near a homeless shelter that attends to migrants in Brownsville, Texas, police said.
The male driver was in custody, Lieutenant Martin Sandoval of the Brownsville Police Department said, adding he was charged with reckless driving and could face additional charges.
Sandoval said the victims in the morning crash were waiting at a bus stop near Ozanam Center, a shelter for the homeless used by migrants. He said some migrants were among the dead.
“We are doing an investigation in forms of intoxication to see if he was intoxicated at the time of the accident,” said Sandoval on Fox News.
It was not clear if the driver had crashed into the group intentionally or lost control of the vehicle, Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. of Cameron County was quoted as telling the New York Times.
There no immediate details on how many people were injured or their condition.
The city of Brownsville, on the border with Mexico, is one of the places expecting an influx of migrants when COVID-era restrictions under Title 42 expire on Thursday.
A video circulating online purporting to show the crash shows a speeding SUV plowing into a row of people sitting on the curb. A second video of the aftermath appears to show victims lying on the ground, some bloodied and writhing, while others lay motionless.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
(Reporting by John Kruzel in Washington; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Sandra Maler)
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