Driver in deadly Brownsville crash arrested, facing multiple charges
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Brownsville police confirm seven people dead and ten taken to several hospitals after being run over by a vehicle Sunday morning.
The incident happened on Minnesota and Houston Road in Brownsville in front of the Ozanam Center.
Brownsville police spokesperson Martin Sandoval said the victims were waiting at a bus stop when they were run over.
Brownsville police say a majority of victims were immigrants and were waiting for a bust to take them to the bus station or airport, so they could get to their final destination.
"This is something that is extraordinary. We have never seen something like this," Director of the Ozanam Center Victor Maldonado said.
Brownsville police say the driver of the vehicle is now in jail.
Sandoval said the driver is a Hispanic male and a resident of Brownsville. Police say he is facing a charge of reckless driving, but more charges are possible as the investigation continues. Toxicology results are also pending.
"I know there is a report out there, they are saying that it was intentional. That Brownsville police is saying this was an intentional accident. Well, I'm here to clarify that Brownsville police has never taken the stand that this was an intentional accident. It is a factor that we have to look at," Sandoval said.
Ten people are being treated in hospitals in Brownsville, Harlingen and McAllen with their injuries ranging from minor to major.
"I could hear the car hitting people and the thumping and I saw how the SUV rolled over when he hit them," eyewitness Jose Del Transito Rubio Armijo said. "It went off to the side. And at the same time, I'm not sure the curb made the car flip on its side."
Because the crash involves migrants who were processed by Border Patrol, the FBI will be assisting Brownsville police as needed in the investigation.
The Ozanam Center will be holding a mass at their facility at 8 p.m. Sunday night.
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