Tragedy
Car Crashes Into Crowd at SXSW, 23 People Transported to Hospital, Multiple Fatalities
Early Thursday morning, a sedan ran over a crowd of people outside of the Mohawk in Downtown Austin, Texas, during SXSW. Police are reporting 23 injured, 5 in critical condition, and two deceased.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman, via AP
At approximately 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning, a silver Toyota sedan with a cracked windshield plowed through barricades and crashed into a crowd of over twenty pedestrians in Downtown Austin, Texas, during SXSW, according to the Austin Police Department and multiple eyewitness reports. Austin PD is reporting that 23 people were transported to the hospital. Of those, five are in critical condition, and two are deceased. The two deceased were reportedly operating a moped.
The accident occurred between 9th Street and Red River outside The Mohawk, a celebrated outdoor music venue. Rapper Tyler, The Creator, was playing a hotly anticipated show when the crash occurred, with the vehicle running over a crowd of people assembled outside. The suspect is reportedly in custody and was under the influence of alcohol, according to numerous reports. Several journalists were on hand to capture the aftermath. This is a developing story...
UPDATE: Austin Police Chief Acevedo says the crash started as a DWI stop at a nearby gas station when the suspect, a black male, sped off and struck two people on a moped (a man and a woman) while speeding the wrong way down a one-way street. He also struck a taxi and a van before fleeing on foot. He was tased and taken into custody.