A driver intentionally plowed into pedestrians standing outside at a bus stop in an immigrant shelter in South Texas, killing seven people, authorities told CBS4 Sunday.
Martin Sandoval, a spokesman for the Brownsville Police Department, told CBS affiliate KRGTV that officers received a call around 8:30 a.m. local time to report an incident, which they later determined involved a Land Rover that “carried over several people.” . They were waiting at a stop near the Ozanam Center, a shelter for immigrants and homeless people.
Sandoval said police arrived at the scene and found seven people already dead. Between four and six injured have been sent to nearby hospitals for treatment. Their injuries ranged from minor to major, according to the spokesperson.
Officers detained the driver of the Land Rover, who he said was “receiving medical treatment” when speaking to KRGTV on Sunday afternoon. The driver is expected to face criminal charges for at least reckless driving.
Brownsville Police Department / Facebook
“But there are probably going to be other charges later in the day,” Sandoval told the news station. “We’re also doing our due diligence, which means we’re actually trying to see if he’s intoxicated or not. So we’re running all those tests as well.”
Several roads were closed after the incident.
The fatal incident is under investigation, but witnesses told police that “the vehicle lost control” when it happened.
“Now, we know whether it was an accident or intentional, it’s still under investigation,” Sandoval said. The spokesman noted that bystanders “started to help some of the individuals over there” and detained the driver themselves while waiting for police to arrive on the scene.
Brownsville police shared few details in their latest update on the crash, which Sandoval characterized as “a major accident” in a video message shared on the department’s Facebook page.
“We have closed all roads, so we request people to please find alternative routes,” he said. “Like I said… at 8:30 am, we got a call about an accident. That’s all the information we have so far. But if you follow us, we’ll get more information. Here on this channel.