Cops ID Suspect Accused of Mowing Down 8 Outside Texas Migrant …
Brownsville Police Department The driver accused of running over and killing eight people outside a migrant facility in Brownsville, Texas[1], over the weekend was identified Monday as 34-year-old George Alvarez. Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda said Alvarez has been arraigned on eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for the horrifying crash on Sunday morning.
He's being held on a bail of £3.6 million. Sauceda said it's still unclear whether the mass killing was an intentional act by Alvarez--who has a lengthy criminal record, according to Sauceda--or an accident. He said cops are still awaiting toxicology results and wouldn't comment on reports that Alvarez hurled anti-immigrant comments as he was taken into custody.
"The SUV ran a red light, lost control, clipped on his side and struck a total of 18 individuals," Sauceda said. Records show that Alvarez lives in Brownsville, a city of 187,000 that borders Matamoros, Mexico. Cops displayed a placard next to Alvarez's mugshot during a Monday press conference that listed his criminal history.
It said Alvarez has past charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, assault against an elderly or disabled person, four counts of assault causing bodily injury to a family member, and at least 11 other charges. Alvarez pleaded guilty to a charge of assault on a public servant in 2006 for allegedly hitting a detention officer at a jail in Brownsville, according to a trial summary shared by Georgetown Law[2]. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, but had the charges dropped in 2010 after an appeals court--with newly released video in Alvarez's defense--found him to be innocent.
Sunday's crash happened at a bus stop in front of the Ozanam Center, a homeless and migrant shelter. Six people died at the scene and two others died at a hospital, Sauceda said. Ten more were "critically" injured.
Many of the victims were Venezuelan nationals who were new to the country, and Sauceda said his department is working with the Venezuelan government, as well as other embassies, to identify and provide information about those killed. Story continues The chief confirmed what videos from the scene showed yesterday, saying bystanders stopped Alvarez from fleeing and detained him until cops arrived.
Victor Maldonado, the shelter's director, told The New York Times[3] on Sunday that "bodies just started going everywhere, all directions" once the SUV crashed through the group of about 20 people.
There's been an uptick in violence against migrants in recent years, including the slaying of 22 people at a Walmart[4] in El Paso, Texas, in 2019.