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Two die as car crashes into SXSW crowd
By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 13 March 2014
Two people have died after a car ploughed into a crowd of people at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas late last night.
According to local media reports, the driver of the vehicle was fleeing arrest for DUI at about 12.30am when his car hit one of the temporary barricades erected for the SXSW festival on the intersection of Austin’s Red River Street and East 10th Street. The pursued man then reportedly carried on driving after the initial crash despite the area being busy with pedestrians.
The two fatalities were caused when the car hit a moped that was carrying two people. Up to 21 more pedestrians also sustained injuries as the vehicle reportedly drove into a crowd of SXSW festival-goers, most likely queuing for the Mohawk bar, which hosts showcases during South By and was last night due to headlined by Tyler, The Creator (the show was cancelled after the incident).
The driver then seemingly crashed with a taxi before trying to escape on foot. At this point police managed to arrest the man. A spokesman for the Austin Police Department told Rolling Stone: “This is extremely unusual. There have been some very rare instances of vehicles striking pedestrians in the entertainment area, but this is the first time it’s ever affected a SXSW event”.
Organisers of the SXSW festival and conference are yet to formally comment on the incident, though have encouraged any eye-witnesses to contact the Austin police.
