A drunk driver barreled through a crowd at SXSW in Austin, killing two people and injuring at least 23 others.

Local police were in pursuit of a suspected drunk driver, who was spotted driving the wrong way on a one-way street. The driver was fleeing from the police when the deadly crash occurred. The driver in question sped straight into a crowd of festival attendees around 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 13. A man and a woman, who had been riding light motorcycles at the time, were pronounced dead on the scene. Twenty-three people were hospitalized for injuries resulting from the crash; 5 were critical. According to CBS Dallas Fort Worth, 8 people hurt in the crash are still in the hospital.

The driver reportedly broke through a SXSW barricade, driving straight into the crowd before hit two cars, coming to a stop after about one block. The driver tried to escape on foot and was tased by police. The suspect driver is now in custody and will face two counts of capital murder along with 23 counts of aggravated assault by vehicle.

According to witnesses, the crowd was gathered around the street, waiting in line to get into a concert event.

One witness told CNN that the entire incident, which lasted about one minute, looked like an action movie sequence.

“It looked like something out of a movie…A few people lying on the street… with their friends around them trying to get them up, trying to get them back to life. Hopefully, they are," said Russ Barone.

Witnesses to the crash have been uploading photos and videos to the Internet, showing people lying in the street post-crash for about one block.

The Austin Police Department has asked for people with any photos, videos or information about the crash to deliver the footage to the authorities instead of posting it on YouTube.

SXSW Will Continue As Scheduled

SXSW released a statement expressing their sadness and also thanking the first responders for their quick response.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the tragic accident that took place last night here in Austin. We appreciate and commend the first responders as well as the city agencies who so quickly sprung into action,” reads the statement.

While some events scheduled for later that night were put on hold or canceled due to the events of the night, SXSW has released a statement declaring that, today, programming will not be altered and events will not be canceled due to the tragedy.

“We will be making schedule and venue changes for programming in the surrounding area of last night’s events. All other programming will continue as previously scheduled,” reads the statement.

SXSW festival spokeswoman Kelly Krause also encourages attendees to check the official SXSW website and Twitter account for up to date information on any scheduling changes.

"To avoid confusion we plan to carry on with our scheduled daytime events at the Austin Convention Center in order to serve our tens of thousands of participants during this tragic time," said managing director Roland Swenson in a statement. "We are contacting all of the venues to find out if they have made any decisions about their operations that might impact our visitors."

The story is still developing, and the Austin Police Department is expected to release more information on the suspect and the condition of those injured later today. According to Austin Local News KVUE ABC, The Blood Center of Central Texas is making a plea for donations following the crash. The Blood Center reportedly delivered blood to Austin, presumably to help treat survivors of the crash, and now need to replenish their stock.

– Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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