Driver Who Killed Two In SXSW Crash Only Charged With One Count Capital Murder
The Texas man who drove through a police barricade and directly into a large crowd of people, killing two and injuring dozens more, was officially charged on Friday with one count of capital murder, though additional charges are pending and likely to be filed soon.
Rashad Owens, 21, of Killeen, Texas is currently imprisoned in the Travis County Jail in Austin on $3 million bail, according to a report from keranews.org.
Although Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo told reporters on Thursday that Owens would be facing two charges of capital murder and multiple counts of aggravated assault with a vehicle, police officials amended said announcement on Friday when the single capital murder charged was filed. They offered an explanation in an update posted to the Austin Police Department website later on in the day.
The update reads:
"The reason only one capital murder charge was filed is that Texas State law requires two or more deaths in the same criminal transaction for the filing of a capital murder charge."
Police officials also made note that any additional charges in the so-called SXSW rampage will be presented to the Travis County Grand Jury at a later date.
KXAN News Austin reports that according to legal documents, a police officer had tried to pull Owens over on suspicion of drunk driving on Thursday and that sparked the murderous vehicular rampage.
As filed in his arrest warrant, Owens told police that when he saw the lights of the police cruiser flashing in his rearview to pull him over, he got scared because he had a warrant out for his arrest and didn't want to go to jail.
According to the official police report, in a bid to evade the traffic stop Owens pulled into a gas station then exited, going the wrong way down Ninth Street.
Upon reaching a police barricade that was set up in the area to divert crowds and traffic from the SXSW expo, Owens slammed through the barricade and almost hit the officer who was manning it. Owens then continued driving full speed ahead for approximately three blocks, all of which were filled with crowds attending the SXSW festivities.
A video of the incident reportedly shows Owens "accelerating into crowds, not simply crowded areas but crowds of people who are hit by the car and flung into the air," officials said.
According to an official report put out by the Austin Police Department, Owens struck and injured a total of 25 pedestrians -- ranging in age from 17 to 39 -- during the chase.
At the intersection of 11th Street and Red River Street, Owens slammed his car into Steven Craenmehr, 35, of the Netherlands, who was on his bicycle and died in the collision. Owens then crashed into a motorcycle, killing one of the two riders on it -- Jamie West, 27, of Austin.
After these collisions Owens continued driving, then pulled up onto the sidewalk and into a parking lot where he allegedly crashed into a van and exited his vehicle as he attempted to get away on foot from the police pursuit.
One officer was able to catch up to Owens and used a Taser to subdue him. He was immediately arrested and taken into custody.
The SXSW tragedy was not Owens' first time involved in vehicular criminal activity. In late 2011 he pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated after a hit-and-run incident that he was arrested for in Alaska.
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