George Alvarez charged with running over migrants

May 9, 2023

The man who allegedly drove into a group of migrants outside a shelter in Brownsville, Texas, killing eight people and injuring more than 10, has been charged with manslaughter.

Cops identified George Alvarez, 34, as the driver and say he has a long rap sheet, including prior DUI and assault charges. They also said they are still investigating whether the act was deliberate.

During a press conference Monday, Chief Felix Sauceda said Alvarez ran a red light, lost control and hit a total of 18 people who were waiting for a bus outside a migrant shelter.

Six men died at the scene and two died later. All of the victims have been identified as men, the chief said.

“Investigation also revealed that the driver of the vehicle later identified as George Alvarez … had attempted to flee the scene after impact but was held down by several individuals,” Sauceda said.

Alvarez was charged with manslaughter counts and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bond was set at $3.6 million, the chief said.

George Alvarez, the driver who struck and killed eight people in Brownsville Texas, is seen in a photo being shared on social media. Alvarez allegedly plowed into the group of mostly Venezuelan men with his Range Rover while they waited at a city bus stop near a migrant shelter.

The group of mostly Venezuelan men were sitting on a curb across the street from the Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center shelter at about 8:30 a.m. when a Range Rover SUV ran the traffic light and drove over the people sitting at the stop, according to the head of the shelter.

“It was sudden,” said Luis Herrera, a Venezuelan immigrant at the scene. “A woman drove by and told us to leave the area. We started to leave, and in a second the driver came up and was pointing at us, cursing, calling us things like, ‘Motherf—–‘ and other things I didn’t understand.”