Car Plows Into Crowd At SXSW Festival; Two People Dead And 23 Injured

At least 2 people are dead after a man drove a speeding car into the crowd at the South by Southwest festival Thursday morning. At least 23 others were injured.

The crowd was standing outside a nightclub at the festival's location in Austin, Texas, the Los Angeles Times reported. Before the incident the police stopped the driver because they suspected he was driving while intoxicated.

Jermaine Kilgore, public information officer for the Austin Police Department, told the LA Times they stopped the driver, a black male, a little after 12 a.m. near a gas station not far from the Mohawk.

The driver drove away from the police, sped through a barricade and headed in the wrong direction on a one-way street, the LA Times reported.

"We weren't in pursuit," Kilgore told the LA Times. "We were behind the vehicle, and it happened very quickly."

The car struck two bystanders on motorized scooters outside the Mohawk nightclub. They died instantly. The car continued on to hit dozens of other pedestrians, sending at least 10 people to the hospital. Five are in critical condition.

"From the time the vehicle evaded [the traffic stop] and the time he crashed was about a minute and a half," Kilgore told the LA Times.

The driver was apprehended after police struck him with an electric stun gun.

Jayda Luna told the LA Times he was waiting in line to see a performance when the car rushed into the crowd. The person next to Luna was hit.

"I saw bodies fly into the air, and there was blood and it was unbelievable," Luna, 21, said. "It was the most horrific thing I've ever seen in my entire life."

Police said they are investigating the incident and the suspect behind the vehicle.

"There is only one person responsible for this, someone with no regard for the sanctity of life," Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo told the LA Times. "Our focus is on gathering evidence and seeking justice for the people who lost their lives."

Each year thousands of people gather in Austin, Texas for the SXSW festival to see films and hear music from up and coming artists.