Driver faces murder charges after killing two, injuring others during SXSW fest

AUSTIN, Texas -- Fleeing police, a driver gunned a sedan through a street barricade and into a crowd enjoying the South by Southwest festival shortly after midnight yesterday, killing two people and injuring 23 others.

Police said Rashad Charjuan Owens, who they had tried to stop on suspicion of drunken driving, struck multiple pedestrians on a block filled with concertgoers.

The driver then sped down the street, hitting and killing musician Steven Craenmehr, 35, of the Netherlands, who was on a bicycle, and an Austin woman who was on a moped, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said.

The driver eventually crashed into a parked van and tried to flee on foot before police used a stun gun to subdue him.

Owens, 21, will face two counts of capital murder and 23 counts of aggravated assault with a vehicle, Austin police said.

Formal charges are still pending.

Austin police did not provide a city of residence.

Acevedo said he believed that Owens was so intent on evading the police that he willfully drove the vehicle into the crowd.

"It's clear for me from his actions, from what I've seen, that this is an individual who showed no regard for the human beings that he plowed through in his attempt to get away," Acevedo said.

In its 27th year, South By Southwest has grown from a small showcase for up-and-coming bands to an international extravaganza, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors and top music and Hollywood stars.