Glad there were no guns or knives to blame it on.
(CBS 42) AUSTIN Austin police are investigating the death of a man attacked by a crowd in East Austin Tuesday night.
Police said at 9:31 p.m. Tuesday patrol officers responded to a “person down” call at 900 Thompson Street (map). There they found David Rivas Morales, 40, who had suffered trauma to his body. He was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead.
Police say preliminary investigation indicates that Morales was a passenger in a car that may have hit a small child in the parking lot of 900 Thompson Street. Immediately after the accident, somebody assaulted the driver of the car that struck the child. The child was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Witnesses said several black males assaulted Morales when he stepped out of the vehicle to try and stop the crowd from assaulting the driver of the car he was in. Police believe there were 2,000 to 3,000 people in the area when the driver and Morales were attacked.
The area is near Rosewood Park, where Juneteenth festivities were taking place Tuesday night.
The driver was able to leave the area in his car. Police recovered the vehicle and the driver is cooperating with Homicide detectives.
Detectives are asking anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who may have information to call the Homicide tip line at (512) 477-3588 or Crime Stoppers at (512) 472-8477. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1000 for information.
This case remains under investigation by Homicide detectives. This was the 11th murder of 2007 in Austin.
First, this kind of behavior is savage, but second, this will encourage people to “hit and run”.