Police will charge driver behind SXSW accident with capital murder and several counts of aggravated assault

The allegedly drunk driver that plowed through a crowd last night at the South By Southwest festival, killing two people and injuring nearly two dozen others, will soon be charged with two counts of capital murder and 23 counts of aggravated assault.

At a press conference this morning, Austin Police Department Chief Art Acevedo said the suspect's name will be released later today. The police also disclosed new information about the two victims. One was a man from the Netherlands who was riding his bike when the driver's gray sedan drove over him, and another was an Austin woman who was on a moped. They were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Also, new details have emerged of what happened last night. Police say it all started when the driver sped off to avoid being stopped on suspicion of driving under the influence. The suspect then almost hit a police officer with his car, before driving the wrong way on a downtown street, ramming a barricade, and hitting the crowd. The suspect then jumped out of the car and tried to flee, but he was tasered by cops and arrested.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The Statesman has more about the press conference.