DRIVER CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER COUNTS

A day after an SUV, driven by a Brownsville man, George Alvarez, plowed through a group of migrants, killing eight people, much remains uncertain about the tragedy — most important, whether the crash was intentional.

Alvarez has been charged with eight counts of manslaughter, 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and reckless driving, and remains behind bars, Chief Felix Sauceda of the Brownsville Police Department said Monday.

Alvarez was seen on a video being pinned down on the ground by a group of people outside a homeless shelter that had been housing migrants, most of them from Venezuela, after he tried to flee the scene of the crash. His Range Rover SUV struck about 20 people near a bus stop.

Sauceda said police were investigating reports that Alvarez had yelled anti-immigration epithets at the group. More criminal charges could be added, he said, if investigators determine the crash was deliberate.

Police said they received reports of the crash at around 8:29 a.m. Sunday and that officers found a gruesome scene when they arrived. At least six people were already dead, and four more were badly injured and twisting in pain. Two of the injured later died, Sauceda said.

Investigators said Alvarez drove through a red light and appeared to lose control of his vehicle, which flipped on its side and struck the migrants. Sauceda called it “a very tragic scene.”

Alvarez is a resident of Brownsville who has long been known to local authorities, Sauceda said, adding that Alvarez had a record of numerous arrests on charges including driving while intoxicated, burglary of a vehicle, assault and theft, among others.

Police said they were still trying on Monday to determine whether Alvarez was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

The episode took place outside Ozanam Center, a shelter where a large number of migrants have arrived recently.

Alvarez, who has been speaking to investigators in both English and Spanish, has refused to cooperate with investigators, officials said.

MICHAEL GONZALEZ AP Authorities say this Range Rover SUV driven by George Alvarez plowed through a crowd of migrants Sunday in Brownsville, Texas, killing eight people who were gathered outside a shelter housing migrants.