Police in Texas arrested a suspect after a car hit a crowd of people waiting at a bus stop in the border town of Brownsville, killing at least eight people and injuring several others.
The big picture: The Brownsville Fire Department said in a statement that 11 people injured in the 8:30am crash near a shelter serving migrants and homeless people were taken to local hospitals. Brownsville Police Investigator Martin Sandoval told CNN one of those injured later died.
What we know so far
- Sandoval said at a news conference earlier Sunday that most of the victims are Venezuelan men, and they believe there are some migrants among the dead and injured.
- The men were among a group of people waiting at an unmarked bus stop across from a Catholic charity that assists migrants. Sandoval said the men were sitting on the curb when the car arrived around 8:30am local time.
- Ozanam Center director Victor Maldonado said the shelter is across the street from the bus stop and had a security camera pointed toward the area at the time of the incident.
- “What we see in the video is that this SUV — a Range Rover — just ran the light that was about 100 feet away and just went through the people who were sitting there in the bus stop,” Maldonado said at the press conference.
- The SUV flipped after hitting the curb and then hit the sidewalk further down the street. People walking on the sidewalk were also hit, Maldonado said.
What we know about the driver
The driver, who has not been identified by law enforcement officials beyond being a Hispanic male, was detained at the scene by witnesses, Sandoval said.
- The man has been charged with reckless driving and other charges are expected to follow.
- The driver was injured in the crash and is being treated at a local hospital.
- Sandoval told KRGV-TV that they are testing the driver for intoxication and have not determined if the crash was intentional or an accident.
About Brownsville, Texas
- Brownsville is a town of about 186,00 people, located directly across the U.S.-Mexico border from the town of Matamoros, Mexico.
- Brownsville also holds a port of entry into the United States, and is a popular crossing point for migrants seeking entry into the country.
- The crash occurred days before Title 42, the federal statute that allows the U.S. to return migrants back to Mexico or their home countries, is set to end on May 11.