Police on Monday announced the driver in a deadly crash at a bus stop near a shelter for migrants in Brownsville, Texas, has been charged with multiple counts of manslaughter.
Eight people were killed and at least 10 were injured when an SUV plowed into a crowd around 8:30 a.m. Sunday. The driver, 34-year-old George Alvarez, was charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection to the crash, Brownsville police Chief Felix Sauceda said at a Monday press conference.
Here’s what to know about the collision:
Who is the driver?
Sauceda said Alvarez is a Brownsville resident with an “extensive rap sheet” and his total bond was set at $3.6 million. He said police are still waiting to get the results of a toxicology report.
Investigator Martin Sandoval said Sunday the driver was injured when the vehicle rolled over and there were no passengers in the car. Sandoval said Alvarez was “very uncooperative” at the hospital and gave multiple names before investigators were able to identify him.
Police are still investigating the cause of the crash.
Sandoval said Sunday there are three possible explanations for the crash: “It could be intoxication; it could be an accident; or it could be intentional. In order for us to find out exactly what happened, we have to eliminate the other two.”
Who are the victims?
Sauceda said most of the victims were Venezuelan and all of them were men. They had spent the night at the shelter and were waiting for the bus to return to downtown Brownsville, according to Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.
Brownsville, the easternmost border crossing into Mexico, issued a disaster declaration last month after 15,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, crossed over in a single week, overwhelming border security. The Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center is the only overnight shelter in the city and manages the release of thousands of migrants from federal custody.
Sauceda said police are working with the Venezuelan government and other embassies.
“We will work with our network and supporters to ensure reunification efforts and victim assistance is made available to all affected,” he said.
What happened during the crash?
Sauceda said police received reports of a major crash around 8:30 a.m. Sunday and found “multiple casualties and several injured,” a gray SUV with “heavy damage” and a driver at the scene.
He said Alvarez ran a red light and lost of control of his vehicle, which flipped on its side striking 18 people. Six people died at the scene and 12 were critically injured before fatalities later rose to eight, according to police.
Sauceda said Alvarez attempted to flee and was restrained by bystanders at the scene.
Luis Herrera, who was hit by the vehicle and hospitalized with a broken arm, told the Washington Post the driver yelled insults and taunted people at the bus stop before the crash. When asked about witness reports that the driver cursed at the victims before the crash, which was captured on surveillance footage, Sauceda said “we have nothing to validate that at this point.”
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Contributing: John Bacon and Jorge Ortiz, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
