Texas car attack — latest: George Alvarez had multiple drugs in his system at time of Brownsville crash
Police say they are still investigating whether crash at Brownsville migrant center was intentional
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The driver accused of killing eight people in a crash outside a Texas migrant shelter was found to have multiple drugs in his system, police say.
Suspect George Alvarez, 34, has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after Sunday morning’s incident.
An initial toxicology report found he had multiple drugs in his system following the crash: cocaine, benzodiazepines and marijuana.
The development comes after a witness to the crash claimed the driver made anti-immigrant remarks before he was detained by members of the public.
Police say they are still investigating whether the crash was intentional as well as the driver’s alleged remarks.
Earlier police revealed that Mr Alvarez has a lengthy criminal history, including multiple assault charges.
And shocking security camera footage shared by Texas congressman Henry Cuellar showed the moment a grey Ranger Rover smashed into the crowd outside of the city’s Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center.
The Venezuelan government has called for an investigation to determine if the crash was deliberate and motivated by hate or xenophobia, after it emerged that several of the victims were from Venezuela.
George Alvarez: Everything we know about driver in Brownsville crash that killed 8 migrants
Everything we know about the Brownsville, Texas crash that killed 8 people outside a migrant centre- George Alvarez identified as driver in Texas migrant shelter crash as death toll rises to eight
Two days, three attacks, 18 dead: Texas reels from horrifying weekend of violence
ICYMI: Some victims killed in car crash ‘arrived night before’
Cesar Romero, 34, a Venezuelan national who witnessed his friends being run over by the vehicle told CNN “some of the men killed had just arrived the night before”.
Mr Romero corroborated accounts by other witnesses that the driver, who police have identified as George Alvarez, tried to run away and yelled obscenities before being held by other bystanders until police arrived.
Police considering three possible explanations
Authorities say they are actively considering three distinct possibilities about Sunday’s crash, according to CNN.
The first possibility is that the driver of the SUV was intoxicated (police have taken a blood sample). The second is that the car may have “malfunctioned”. The third is that it was a deliberate attack.
“All of these are possibilities”, Brownsville Police spokeperson Martin Sandoval told the cable news channel.
‘We’re all Hispanics, who feel everything that is happening’
The crash has prompted an outpouring of support from Brownsville residents, who are 95 per cent Hispanic or Latino according to the latest US census.
According to Texas broadcaster KIII, locals have held a vigil for the crash victims and set up a makeshift memorial with flowers and crosses.
“We’re all Mexicans, Hispanics, who feel everything that is happening,” said one resident, Maria Esparza. “Me and my family came from immigrants, and we came for a better life.”
'There isn’t any protection for us’
A witness to the crash has given a defiant message to anyone who looks down on undocumented migrants.
The 29-year-old Venezuelan man, who asked for his name to not be published, told local broadcaster KIII that he was outside the shelter when the crash occurred and that his only motive in coming to America was to give his wife and son a better life.
“There isn’t any protection for us,” said the man. “The people that come walking all the way over here are at the mercy of God....
“If you treat me bad because you think you’re better than me, for whatever you reason – you have a house, a job, a car, whatever it is – you find a Venezuelan here walking. You should show some more empathy for us, and that goes for the whole world.”
ICYMI: Everything we know about George Alvarez
Graig Graziosi has rounded up all the information we currently have about the alleged driver of the SUV, George Alvarez.
Police say Mr Alvarez, 34, was well known to them thanks to a long list of previous criminal charges including assault, aggravated assault, and resisting arrest.
George Alvarez: Everything we know about driver in Brownsville crash that killed 8
Police and the FBI are still investigating whether or not the crash was intentional
WATCH: George Alvarez charged with manslaughter
George Alvarez’s criminal history revealed:
During a press conference on Monday, police noted that George Alvarez has a lengthy criminal history.
His past charges include numerous assault charges, an aggravated assault charge, and additional charges for burglary, theft, DUI, and resisting arrest.
He is currently being held on a $3.6m bond, according to CNN.
Greg Abbott shows off barbed wire fence in Brownsville – while ignoring migrant deaths
Governor Greg Abbott showed off a barbed wire fence in Brownsville on Monday night – while ignoring the deaths of eight migrants in a horror crash one day earlier.
“This is one thing Texas is doing to secure the border. This is the area near Brownsville where migrants were crossing in large numbers a few days ago. We now have it wired shut. Other areas will surface for crossing. We will wire them shut also. More to come,” he tweeted.
This comes after eight victims were killed when a man rammed into a crowd of migrants waiting at a bus stop outside a migrant shelter on Sunday.
Two days, three attacks, 18 dead: Texas reels from weekend of horror
The state of Texas — from the border with Mexico to the swanky suburbs north of Dallas — spent Monday reeling from unimaginable horror.
Traumatised shoppers were gathering in Allen to reclaim vehicles at the outlet mall where an active shooter on Saturday killed eight and injured seven.
Officers in Brownsville were preparing to update the public after a driver plowed into a group of migrants waiting at a bus stop, again killing eight and injuring at least 10 on Sunday morning.
And police in Dallas were holding a gunman who opened fire on a city light rail line on Sunday afternoon, killing one and injuring two.
The Independent’s Sheila Flynn reports on Texas’ horror weekend:
Two days, three attacks, 18 dead: Texas reels from horrifying weekend of violence
An active shooter attacked an outlet mall near Dallas on Saturday afternoon, killing eight before being shot dead himself by an Allen cop. The following morning, 570 miles south, a car plowed into a group of migrants waiting at a bus stop, killing eight more. Then, eight hours later, a dispute on a Dallas Dart train led to another deadly shooting. Sheila Flynn reports on Texas’ weekend of carnage
What are the charges?
Suspect George Alvarez, 34, has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after Sunday morning’s incident.
Officials announced the charges on Monday.
Further charges could be brought as investigators seek to determine whether or not the crash was intentional.