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Police: Driver in deadly Texas crash tried to flee scene after hitting 18 people, killing 8

Police: Driver in deadly Texas crash tried to flee scene after hitting 18 people, killing 8
Well, good morning and thank each and every one of you all for being here today this morning, we really appreciate you all's presence. Um And I am here as chief of police for the Bronx Police Department, Felix F I *** U CE D *** Brownsville, Texas and I am here to deliver *** brief on the tragic event that took place within our city yesterday. Since the investigation is ongoing. Our objective is to provide you *** better understanding about what occurred as we currently understand it yesterday morning at 8 20 nine AM, we received multiple calls for service in regards to *** major crash on the 600 block of Minnesota road. Upon arrival, officers found multiple casualties and several injured officers also found *** gray SUV with heavy damage and *** driver on scene through the investigation. It was found that the SUV ran *** red light lost control, flipped on its site and struck *** total of 18 individuals. It was further found that there were six fatalities unseen and 12 critically injured from then to now fatalities have grown to eight investigation also revealed that the driver of the vehicle later identified as George Alvarez. November nine, 1988 had attempted to flee the scene after impact but was held down by several individuals on scene. Investigation also revealed that the driver of the vehicle. I'm sorry. George Alvarez is *** Brazo local with an extensive rap sheet. He has been formally charged and arraigned with eight counts of manslaughter, 10 counts of aggravated assault with *** deadly weapon. He has received bonds totaling $3.6 million and we have his picture and record of various previous arrests as we will display to you. All right. Now, I want to thank men and women serving who have worked and continued to process the scene. The very tragic scene. I'd also like to thank and acknowledge our Brunswick Fire Department for tending to the critically injured. Our district attorney, Mr Science, our Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oliver Rich Sack San Antonio division, Marcus Joaquin as *** San Antonio Division, Victor Cal R D for D P s and multiple other agencies for their unwaver assistance throughout the tragic event. I'd also like to thank multiple individuals that have reached out and supported us starting with our city leaders, city management, county judge, state reps, Aaron Gomez Jamie Lopez, Senator Lamana, Senator Cornyn and Governor Greg Abbott is *** proud resilient city. We will continue to best serve our community as we mourn and continue our investigation. We will work with our network and support to ensure reunification efforts and victim assistance. Is made available to all affected. We have established contact with Venezuelan officials and will continue to work with them. Thank you. Any questions are you all from Venezuela? From what we know? Uh several are we are waiting on formal toxicology reports. *** motive that you can talk about. None. At this point, several of the witnesses have said that he was cursing at them and saying that they were in, we have nothing to validate that. At this point. Someone from this site Chief City Brownville has *** lot of migrants walking around on sidewalks, streets right now. What's the city doing to keep them in safe places like the city of mcallen for many years? So we have *** process in play for that, but this press conference is for the tragedy that we are still investigating at this point. Chief Nick Valencia at CNN. How were you able to rule out that this was not intentional? It sounds like you're saying you lost control. We have not ruled that out, sir. It is an ongoing investigation. Not at this point. *** few questions just quickly. Um Any additional charges or can you talk about how you would get there? So it is an ongoing investigation and yes, absolutely. Charges can change and charges can be added. But he was arraigned today for reckless. That is correct. Yes. Yes. Can I just quickly ask about the victims? Can you talk about the process of ID and have you identified the nationalities beyond just Venezuela are all of them migrants. And what has the process been like reaching out to family? So it has been *** very tiresome process. But one that we are deeply committed to doing and accomplishing, we are working with the Venezuelan government right now and we have also reached out to other embassies. Go ahead, sir. Where is he being kept right now? And he's in any type of special cell or anything like that here in our facility? No, no special cell has been increased police presence at and at the street. Um places where migrants are being processed by the state. Once again, this conference is about the tragedy that we continue to investigate. I have two more questions. Please, sir. Go ahead, two questions. Follow up the extent of the injury, sir, if you can, you know, let us know some of the videos and I saw in person, you know, it's like they were missing limbs so on and so forth. That's number one and the follow up is how can the people help you if they have videos? How, what, what does the Absolutely. So there are various very critical injuries and of course there was fatalities out of there at the scene and we unfortunately continue to have *** scaling if you would of fatalities unfortunately and for the public, right, any and all videos, any and all statements, any and all whatever it is that you know that can help us collaborate and bring this investigation. You know, to *** to an end, please reach out to us as you all know, we have *** very robust social media platform and so please reach out to us. Last question, last question about the victim. Are they all, did he seem sober and what police officers encounter? So at this point, I can confirm that they were all males that we know of. And beyond that, we have to wait for official reports.
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Police: Driver in deadly Texas crash tried to flee scene after hitting 18 people, killing 8
The man who drove a vehicle into a group of people near a migrant shelter in Brownsville, Texas, on Sunday, killing eight and injuring 10 more, has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter, Brownsville Police chief Felix Sauceda said Monday.Video above: Officials give update about deadly crash on MondayThe driver was identified as George Alvarez, a 34-year-old with an extensive rap sheet, including prior charges of assault and driving while intoxicated, according to police. The vehicle he was driving ran a red light, lost control, flipped on its side and hit a total of 18 people, the chief said. Alvarez then tried to flee the scene before he was detained by bystanders, police said.He was charged on the manslaughter counts as well as 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and his bond was set at $3.6 million, the chief said. Police said they are still investigating the cause of the crash.Several immigrants were among those killed when the Land Rover hit a group waiting at a bus stop across the street from the Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center, a nonprofit homeless shelter helping to house migrants in the border town, authorities say.Police say they are still investigating the violent crash, which was captured on surveillance video. The footage shows the vehicle driving at a very high rate of speed and hitting a curb about 30 feet from where the migrants were sitting before the driver appears to lose control, Victor Maldonado, the director of the Ozanam Center in Brownsville, told CNN on Sunday.There were about 20 to 25 migrants sitting on the curb at around 8:30 a.m. when police reported receiving reports of the crash, according to the shelter's director. The migrants were from Venezuela and had arrived at the shelter just days ago, Maldonado said.The driver received medical care and was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving, Brownsville Police spokesman Martin Sandoval said.The fatal crash comes as border towns like Brownsville are bracing for a migrant surge when the public health emergency measure known as Title 42 lapses on Thursday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials already have seen an uptick in migrants at the border with Mexico in anticipation of the expiration of Title 42.CNN interviewed migrants staying at the Ozanam Center in December. At the time, the center's director said migrants from all over the world were starting to stay at his shelter and he was seeing an uptick in stays.Located on the southern tip of Texas, Brownsville's population is nearly 95% Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2022 census.The city recently declared a state of emergency after receiving an influx of thousands of migrants, many from Venezuela, in the past several weeks, CNN previously reported.Video shows bystanders detained driverAfter the crash, witnesses at the scene detained the driver until officers arrived, police said. Exclusive video obtained by CNN shows a group of people trying to restrain the man after the crash.Cesar Romero, 34, is a Venezuelan national who said he witnessed the crash and saw his friends run over by the vehicle."Some of the men killed had just arrived the night before," he said while tears rolled down his face.Romero said after the crash, the driver exited his vehicle and appeared to be impaired. He said the driver tried to run away and yelled obscenities, but witnesses stopped him.The man in the video is the driver of the vehicle, Sandoval told CNN. He has not been named by police. Investigators were made aware of the video Monday morning."The video is part of a separate incident investigation but related to the accident," Sandoval said. "We are looking at what the DA can formulate from the video to see if they have enough to potentially face charges.""We are looking at it three different ways," Sandoval said. "One, to see if he was intoxicated. We took a blood sample, and we have to turn it over to the Texas DPS crime lab. Two, we have to look at it as a malfunction of the car. Or three it could be intentional. All of these are possibilities."The driver has been uncooperative and has been giving authorities different names, Sandoval said. Investigators must fingerprint the driver to get his identifying details -- which takes longer, he added.A blood sample was also taken from the driver and a toxicology test will be ordered, according to Sandoval, and it's unclear how long the results will take.At the scene of the fatal crash Sunday, investigators were examining the mangled Range Rover, which could be seen with its windshield shattered and its driver-side door and hood damaged.Witnesses described horrifying crashAs the death toll from the Texas crash rose to eight, witnesses described the horrifying moment the driver plowed into the group.The shelter director and a staff member ran out to the street to find a very graphic scene, with body parts spread across the area, Maldonado told CNN."I've got a staff (member) who is in shock," Maldonado said, adding he, too, was in shock.Another witness described the vehicle overturning as it hit the crowd."I could hear the car hitting people and the thumping and I saw how the SUV rolled over when he hit them," witness Jose Del Transito Rubio Armijo told KRGV in Spanish.Witnesses have also described seeing the driver ignore a red light before driving up on a curb and running over people at the bus stop, according to Sandoval.The FBI is assisting local police with the investigation and Border Patrol is working to confirm the identities of the victims, authorities said.Police are set to provide more information about the crash during a Monday morning news conference.Community members marked a solemn Sunday mass at the Ozanam Center Sunday evening, just hours after the deadly crash across the street."As we await a fuller report from law enforcement authorities, let us stop for a moment to mourn these losses of life and to pray. Pray for the victims, pray for the families and loved ones, and pray for our community," Bishop Daniel Flores of the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville said in a statement."We must resist the corrosive tendency to devalue the lives of immigrants, the poor, and the vulnerable. Let us take extra steps as a local community to care for and protect one another, especially the most vulnerable," Flores said.

The man who drove a vehicle into a group of people near a migrant shelter in Brownsville, Texas, on Sunday, killing eight and injuring 10 more, has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter, Brownsville Police chief Felix Sauceda said Monday.

Video above: Officials give update about deadly crash on Monday

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The driver was identified as George Alvarez, a 34-year-old with an extensive rap sheet, including prior charges of assault and driving while intoxicated, according to police. The vehicle he was driving ran a red light, lost control, flipped on its side and hit a total of 18 people, the chief said. Alvarez then tried to flee the scene before he was detained by bystanders, police said.

He was charged on the manslaughter counts as well as 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and his bond was set at $3.6 million, the chief said. Police said they are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Several immigrants were among those killed when the Land Rover hit a group waiting at a bus stop across the street from the , a nonprofit homeless shelter helping to house migrants in the border town, authorities say.

Police say they are still investigating the violent crash, which was captured on surveillance video. The footage shows the vehicle driving at a very high rate of speed and hitting a curb about 30 feet from where the migrants were sitting before the driver appears to lose control, Victor Maldonado, the director of the Ozanam Center in Brownsville, told CNN on Sunday.

There were about 20 to 25 migrants sitting on the curb at around 8:30 a.m. when police reported receiving reports of the crash, according to the shelter's director. The migrants were from Venezuela and had arrived at the shelter just days ago, Maldonado said.

The driver received medical care and was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving, Brownsville Police spokesman Martin Sandoval said.

The fatal crash comes as border towns like Brownsville are bracing for a migrant surge when the public health emergency measure known as Title 42 lapses on Thursday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials already have seen an uptick in migrants at the border with Mexico in anticipation of the expiration of Title 42.

. At the time, the center's director said migrants from all over the world were starting to stay at his shelter and he was seeing an uptick in stays.

Located on the southern tip of Texas, Brownsville's population is nearly 95% Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2022 census.

The city recently declared a state of emergency after receiving an influx of thousands of migrants, many from Venezuela, in the past several weeks,

Video shows bystanders detained driver

After the crash, witnesses at the scene detained the driver until officers arrived, police said. Exclusive video obtained by CNN shows a group of people trying to restrain the man after the crash.

Cesar Romero, 34, is a Venezuelan national who said he witnessed the crash and saw his friends run over by the vehicle.

"Some of the men killed had just arrived the night before," he said while tears rolled down his face.

Romero said after the crash, the driver exited his vehicle and appeared to be impaired. He said the driver tried to run away and yelled obscenities, but witnesses stopped him.

The man in the video is the driver of the vehicle, Sandoval told CNN. He has not been named by police. Investigators were made aware of the video Monday morning.

"The video is part of a separate incident investigation but related to the accident," Sandoval said. "We are looking at what the DA can formulate from the video to see if they have enough to potentially face charges."

"We are looking at it three different ways," Sandoval said. "One, to see if he was intoxicated. We took a blood sample, and we have to turn it over to the Texas DPS crime lab. Two, we have to look at it as a malfunction of the car. Or three it could be intentional. All of these are possibilities."

The driver has been uncooperative and has been giving authorities different names, Sandoval said. Investigators must fingerprint the driver to get his identifying details -- which takes longer, he added.

A blood sample was also taken from the driver and a toxicology test will be ordered, according to Sandoval, and it's unclear how long the results will take.

At the scene of the fatal crash Sunday, investigators were examining the mangled Range Rover, which could be seen with its windshield shattered and its driver-side door and hood damaged.

Witnesses described horrifying crash

As the death toll from the rose to eight, witnesses described the horrifying moment the driver plowed into the group.

The shelter director and a staff member ran out to the street to find a very graphic scene, with body parts spread across the area, Maldonado told CNN.

"I've got a staff (member) who is in shock," Maldonado said, adding he, too, was in shock.

Another witness described the vehicle overturning as it hit the crowd.

"I could hear the car hitting people and the thumping and I saw how the SUV rolled over when he hit them," witness Jose Del Transito Rubio Armijo told in Spanish.

Witnesses have also described seeing the driver ignore a red light before driving up on a curb and running over people at the bus stop, according to Sandoval.

The FBI is assisting local police with the investigation and Border Patrol is working to confirm the identities of the victims, authorities said.

Police are set to provide more information about the crash during a Monday morning news conference.

Community members marked a solemn Sunday mass at the Ozanam Center Sunday evening, just hours after the deadly crash across the street.

"As we await a fuller report from law enforcement authorities, let us stop for a moment to mourn these losses of life and to pray. Pray for the victims, pray for the families and loved ones, and pray for our community," Bishop Daniel Flores of the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville said in a statement.

"We must resist the corrosive tendency to devalue the lives of immigrants, the poor, and the vulnerable. Let us take extra steps as a local community to care for and protect one another, especially the most vulnerable," Flores said.