Two Dead, 23 Injured After Car Plows Into Crowd At SXSW

Two people were killed and nearly two dozen injured after a car plowed into a crowd outside an Austin club during the busy SXSW festival Thursday morning, Austin Police said.

The Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Service said via Twitter that two people had died on scene. There were 23 patients in total. Five were color-coded red, the most serious condition; five were coded yellow and 13 were coded green, the agency said.

The Austin American-Statesman newspaper quotes a witness who said the crash may have followed a police chase.

John Wickham, the owner of Elysium, told the newspaper that he saw a car coming down the street fast with a police car in pursuit. He tells the paper he saw the car hit several people.

Volunteers and police worked to clear the crowded street in the moments after the crash. The injured were being evaluated on scene and taken to local hospitals.

Audio of Police chase courtesy of @MatthewKeysLive – Released 13/March/2014.

From APD: “If you witnessed, have video/photos of the incident @ Red River call (512) 974-5186. Do not tie this line up for any other reason.”