BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Brownville Police Department Chief Felix Sauceda said during a news conference on Monday morning that the driver who is accused of killing eight people at a Brownsville bus stop Sunday is known to his department.
George Alvarez has an 'extensive rap sheet,' Sauceda said, and is charged with eight counts of manslaughter and 10 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon connected with Sunday's crash.
The 34-year-old's bond is set at $3.6 million.
According to Brownsville Police, Alvarez had cocaine, benzodiazepines, which are a form of anti-anxiety medication and marijuana in his system.
His criminal history includes aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; assault against elderly or disabled; assault causing bodily injury to a family member; assault of a public servant; burglary of a vehicle; assault causing bodily injury; criminal mischief; driving while intoxicated; evading arrest detention; interference with public duties; obstruction or retaliation; possession of marijuana; resisting arrest, search or transport and theft of property.
Alvarez reportedly ran into a group of migrants in Brownsville, killing eight, and is refusing to cooperate with police, officials said.
"It's not simply just combative. He is just saying 'no, I am not going to do this,' and he will tense up and so it kind of makes it harder for the detention officers to do their jobs, but we are talking to him," Lt. Martin Sandoval with the Brownsville Police Department said.
Investigators said Alvarez ran a red light and crashed into the group of people waiting on a bus, killing eight and injuring at least six.
A group of bystanders held him down after he got out of the flipped SUV because they said he was trying to run from the scene, according to Sandoval.
He was taken to the hospital where his blood was drawn to test for drugs and/or alcohol after a warrant was issued. He was originally charged with reckless driving, Sandoval said.
Alvarez had no identification on him when he was arrested and gave investigators several different names, officials said.
Late Sunday night, officers were working to get him fingerprinted to run those through databases for a formal identification.
"He hasn't been mugshot and fingerprinted yet because he is not cooperating," Sandoval said. "And it is difficult because if you have an uncooperative subject for fingerprints, you start to get a lot of smudges and smears, and it is hard to get an accurate identification through AFIS. We need him to be calm and cooperative."