The man accused of driving into a crowd of people outside of a migrant shelter in Texas over the weekend, killing eight, has been charged with manslaughter as the investigation into whether the incident was intentional continues, authorities said Monday.
The alleged driver, 34-year-old George Alvarez, rammed into the group of people at a bus stop in the border town of Brownsville, Texas, on Sunday. Police said they believe Alvarez lost control of the SUV after driving through a red light, hitting a group of Venezuelans outside a migrant shelter.
Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda said at a press conference Monday that Alvarez has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Sauceda said that after Alvarez ran the red light and lost control of the SUV, it flipped and hit at least 18 people, six of which died on the scene.
Sauceda said Alvarez tried to flee but was held back by a number of people who were on the scene.
While rumors swirled that the collision was intentional, Sauceda said investigators were still probing whether that was the case.
The horrific scene near the southern border comes as immigration and border security continues to be one of the hottest issues in American politics.
Officials are preparing for a potential surge of migrants later this week due to the expiration of Title 42, which allowed the government to expel migrants who arrived to the U.S. seeking asylum.