Driver Plows into Group at Austin Festival Killing Two

In the early morning hours of Thursday, two people were killed while two dozen were injured when a driver that was being pursued by the police plowed into a crowd of people that were celebrating in Austin, Texas as the South By Southwest festival.

A police officer from Austin said the suspect drove through a number of temporary barricades that had been set up specifically for the event at Red River and 9th streets. The suspect was fleeing after police attempted to stop the car for a traffic stop.

At that time, the driver fled driving the wrong way on 9th, which is a one-way street, running into the crowd, striking a number of pedestrians and colliding with a taxi and moped. When the suspect’s car stopped, he tried to flee but was tased and put into police custody.

The two people killed were confirmed dead by rescue personnel at the scene. Those injured were transported to nearby hospitals. The incident took place about 12:30 am local time.

One witness said she was at the festival when a car could be seen breaking the barricade and plowing through a number of people attending the festival.

She said people could be seen flying off the hood of the moving car. Blood was everywhere said another witness near people who were lying injured on the ground.

Another witness said he was leaving work just down from the accident minutes after it happened. He raced to the scene and found rescue personnel helping victims as sirens on police cars screeched and a helicopter kept vigil from above.

Many people could be seen crying while they looked over the many people injured. One witness said the festival is for celebration, but in an instance all that changed when the man’s car could be heard and then seen running into and over festivalgoers.

The police officer, who had been pursuing the suspect’s car prior to the tragedy, said he thought the driver might have been intoxicated.

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Roxanne Briean

I am a geek, a gamer and a writer. I have always been fascinated with the online community. At the moment I work as a full-time writer and study interior design. When I'm not scouring the net in search of interesting new gadgets and software I spend my time in MOBAs or drawing.