2023 Brownsville crash

2023 Brownsville crash
DateMay 7, 2023 (2023-05-07)
Time8:28 (UTC−5)
LocationBrownsville, Texas, United States
Coordinates25°55′25″N 97°25′55″W / 25.9235°N 97.4319°W / 25.9235; -97.4319
PerpetratorGeorge Alvarez
Deaths8
Non-fatal injuries10

On May 7, 2023, George Alvarez drove a Range Rover sport utility vehicle into 18 people in Brownsville, Texas, United States. Eight people were killed, and 10 were injured.[1] Officials say it is unclear whether the crash was intentional.[2]

Crash

The crash occurred outside the Ozanam Center, a homeless shelter used by migrants,[3] after the suspect ran a red light near an area where the victims were waiting for a bus.[4] The local police department said that all the victims were male Venezuelan migrants.[5][4]

Perpetrator

George Alvarez, a 34-year-old resident of Brownsville, was arrested and charged with reckless driving,[4][6][7] and later with eight counts of manslaughter and ten counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.[5] Bail was set at $3,600,000.[5] Alvarez has an extensive criminal history, including two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, multiple counts of assault causing bodily injury, and one count of driving while intoxicated.[5] On May 11, officials declared that Alvarez had cocaine, benzodiazepines and marijuana in his system at the time of the crash, while they were also waiting for further toxicology results.[8][9] On June 28, 2024, Alvarez was found guilty of eight counts of intoxication manslaughter and ten counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to sixty years in prison.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ Flores, Rosa; Sottile, Zoe; Pazmino, Gloria (May 7, 2023). "Death toll increases to 8 after car plows into a crowd in front of a Texas shelter that was housing migrants". CNN. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  2. ^ Sandoval, Edgar; Cárdenas, Verónica G. (May 7, 2023). "At Least 8 Killed After Driver Plows Car Into Group of Migrants in Texas". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  3. ^ "Driver arrested after 7, including migrants, killed in Brownsville, Texas". Reuters. May 7, 2023. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Alfaro, Mariana; Sacchetti, Maria; Hernández, Arelis R. "7 killed, 10 injured in crash outside migrant shelter in Brownsville". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Yañez, Alejandra (May 8, 2023). "PD: $3.6M bond for driver migrant crash". KVEO-TV.
  6. ^ Villarreal, Mireya; Shapiro, Emily (May 7, 2023). "8 killed after car plows into 18 pedestrians in Brownsville, Texas; alleged driver charged". ABC News. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  7. ^ "BPD: 7 dead after driver intentionally runs over them in front of migrant shelter". KVEO-TV. May 7, 2023. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  8. ^ Wax-Thibodeaux, Emily; Villegas, Paulina (May 9, 2023). "Driver of SUV in crash that killed 8 had drugs in his system, police say". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  9. ^ Gutierrez, Gabe; Arkin, Daniel (May 8, 2023). "Driver who rammed SUV into migrants in Texas charged with manslaughter". NBC News. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  10. ^ "Driver convicted in deaths of 8 people struck by SUV outside migrant shelter sentenced to 60 years". Associated Press. June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  11. ^ "Driver convicted in deaths of 8 people struck by SUV outside migrant shelter sentenced to 60 years". CTV News. June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.