Jeep crashes into crowd near Texas immigrant center: Witnesses say it was a deliberate hit-and-run

On May 7, a driver crashed into people near a migrant shelter in Brownsville, Texas. As a result of the accident, eight have already died, and about 10 more were injured, reports CNN.

Photo: IStock

The Land Rover crashed into a group of people at a bus stop across the street from the Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center, a non-profit homeless shelter that helps house migrants in the border town.

“We have never seen anything like it,” said Victor Maldonado, director of the Ozanam Center.

Police say they are still investigating the brutal crash, which was caught on CCTV footage. The footage shows the Range Rover driving at very high speed and crashing into a curb about 10m from where the migrants were sitting. The driver then lost control of the car.

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Police said they are treating the incident as an accident for the time being, but a witness said the driver yelled insults at the group before crashing into them, reports NUS.

Witness Luis Herrera, 36, from Venezuela, who injured his hand in the incident, said: “A woman drove by before the accident and warned us to get off the road. It was a matter of a few moments. The killer arrived in his car, gesticulating, insulting us.”

According to Brownsville police spokesman Martin Sandoval, the Hispanic driver received medical treatment and was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving.

"Nightmare Scene"

According to the director of the shelter, between 8 and 30 migrants were sitting on the side of the road around 20:25 am. According to Maldonado, the migrants were from Venezuela and arrived at the shelter just a few days ago.

The shelter director and a staff member ran outside to a gruesome scene with body parts scattered everywhere, Maldonado said.

“I have an employee who is still in shock,” Maldonado said, adding that he too was in shock.

Another witness said the car overturned as it crashed into the crowd.

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“I heard the car hit people and I saw the SUV roll over as it hit them,” said witness José Del Transito Rubio Armijo.

Some people walking on the pavement about nine meters away from the main group were also injured, Maldonado said.

Witnesses also said they saw the driver ignore a red light before driving up to the curb and hitting people at the bus stop, Sandoval said. Authorities said the FBI is assisting local police with the investigation, and Border Patrol is working to identify the victims.

Members of the community held a solemn Sunday mass in memory of the victims at Ozanam Center on May 7 in the evening, just hours after the deadly street accident.

“As we wait for a fuller account from law enforcement, let's pause for a moment to mourn these human losses and pray. Pray for the victims, pray for families and loved ones, and pray for our community,” Bishop Daniel Flores of the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville said in a statement.

“We must resist the pernicious tendency to devalue the lives of immigrants, the poor and the vulnerable. Let's take extra steps as a local community to care for and protect each other, especially the most vulnerable," Flores said.

Police say the driver is not cooperating

After the crash, witnesses at the scene detained the driver until police arrived, Sandoval said.

Sandoval said the driver was uncooperative and was giving different names to authorities. He added that investigators would have to fingerprint the driver in order to obtain his identification, which takes longer.

A blood sample was also taken from the driver and a toxicology test will be ordered, Sandoval said, and it is not clear how long it will take to get the results. At the scene of the fatal crash, investigators examined a mangled Range Rover that had a shattered windshield and damage to the driver's side door and hood.

The Ozanam shelter houses immigrants while they wait for permanent housing, Sandoval said.

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Located on the southern tip of Texas, the population of Brownsville, located on the southern tip of Texas, is almost 2022% Hispanic, according to the 95 census. The city recently declared a state of emergency following an influx of thousands of migrants, many from Venezuela.

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