The man who drove his car through a crowd of migrants in Brownsville, Texas, Sunday and killed eight people may have done so unintentionally, local police said.
George Alvarez, a 34-year-old, may have lost control after running a red light, Brownsville police chief Felix Sauceda said Monday. His car plowed into the crowd of migrants at a bus stop, killing eight and injuring at least 10 others. The victims were near Ozanam Center, an aid center in Brownsville for migrants.
Sauceda said authorities have not ruled out whether the crash was unintentional. Police are waiting on alcohol and toxicology reports on Alvarez.
Alvarez has an "extensive rap sheet," authorities said, according to NBC News:
The driver's criminal history includes two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a count of assault against an elderly or disabled person, four counts of assault causing bodily injury to a family member, and at least 11 other charges, according to information on a placard displayed at the news conference.
The incident comes as thousands of migrants continue to enter the country each day ahead of this week’s expiration of Title 42, a pandemic-era rule that allows officers to turn migrants away at the border. The Biden administration is sending active-duty military personnel to the border to help process migrants before they are released into the country.