Deadly Crash at SXSW in Austin, TX

At 12:30am on the morning of March 13th, an Austin Texas police officer attempted to pull a vehicle over for a traffic-stop in accordance with an overtime-detail project known as the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP); which specifically aims to apprehend motorists who have consumed more than the legal limit of 0.08% alcohol intoxication. Simultaneously, the City of Austin was holding its largest annual interactive music and film festival, South by Southwest [SXSW], in the same concentrated area.

"Chief Acevedo confirmed that APD will charge the suspect with two accounts of Capital Murder, and 23 reports of aggravated assault."

As the officer initiated the traffic-stop, the solitary driver pulled into a gas station parking-lot and began to calmly maneuver his way through the cars and crowd. The suspect then took a right turn out of the gas station lot and began accelerating his vehicle the wrong direction down a one-way street. The officer then implemented his police vehicle lights, and immediately attempted to overtake the vehicle. The suspect however, then made another right turn onto a closed section, Red River Street, guarded by barricades and a uniformed officer who was forced to leap sideways to avoid being struck by the suspect’s vehicle. The defendant then accelerated down the closed street instantaneously struck multiple pedestrians. As the delinquent continued down the closed roadway to the intersecting 11th street he ran over an adult male festival-registrant on a moped. Seconds later decided to exit the vehicle after crashing into a taxi and parked van. The suspect was then immediately hit with a certified police Taser and taken into the custody of the Austin Police Department all in less than two minutes.

Tragically, the man on the moped and a second adult female lost their lives. Twenty-three additional victims were hospitalized within 15 minutes at the University Medical Center Brackenridge just a few blocks away from the occurrence. According to Austin Police Chief, Art Acevedo, five victims are still said to be in perilous condition. Chief Acevedo addressed the media after the incident and urged those who saw something to say something. Additionally, Acevedo urged those attendees who have live footage of the crime to refrain from posting any such video to social media outlets. Instead, any witnessing evidence should be forwarded to the Austin Police Department to be used directly in the assistance of the investigation with the purpose of bringing justice to the victims of this heart-breaking incident.

In this situation, Chief Acevedo confirmed that APD will charge the suspect with two accounts of Capital Murder, and 23 reports of aggravated assault which will be directly filed with the district attorney prosecutor as of Thursday afternoon.

“If you saw something, say something”, APD 512-974-5186 / police3@austintexas.gov