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Mar 14, 2014 By Mike Hilleary Photography by Jason Henry SXSW 2014

New information has come to light following the tragic hit-and-run that took place early yesterday morning at SXSW, killing two and injuring 23 others.

Rashad Charjuan Owens, 21, of Killeen, TX, was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder and multiple counts of aggravated assault with a motor vehicle. The two individuals killed were Jamie Ranae West, 27, of Austin, who was riding on the back of a moped with her husband, Evan West, and Steven Craenmehr, 35, a Dutch native who was the creative director of the agency Massive Music.

The tragic incident event began around 12:30 a.m. when an Austin police officer began checking for DWIs. Owens, fearing arrest, swerved his Toyota sedan through a gas station and sped off driving the wrong way on a one-way street. As the officer began pursuing, Owens accelerated driving through a nearby barricade and plowing through pedestrians. Continuing on for two blocks before hitting a taxi and striking West and Craenmehr, Owens exited the car and fled by foot, but was quickly tasered and taken into custody. The entire event lasted about two minutes.

Criminal records show that Owens has an extensive history, including a guilty plea to a 2011 charge of driving under the influence in Fairbanks, AK, where he was also charged with a criminal trespassing and being a minor under the influence. He was also arrested twice for misdemeanor criminal trespass in Bell County.

“The SXSW staff is stunned and deeply moved by the events of last night,” says SXSW Managing Director Roland Swenson in a issued statement shortly after the event. “Despite all of our preparations for dealing with a major incident during SXSW, nothing could really prepare us for how this feels. As much as we would like to just go home and spend time absorbing the shock of this horrific event, we feel our best use is to continue to operate. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and with the families of the fatalities.” (via Rolling Stone and Austin-American Statesmen)

In the wake of the terrible event SXSW has set up a fund, SXSW Cares, to assist the victims.

(http://sxsw.com)