Rashad Charjuan Owens, the man accused of being the driver in a fatal hit-and-run that killed four and injured 17 at the recent South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, has now been levelled with four new assault charges, on top of existing charges of capital murder and aggravated assault.
As the Austin American Statesman reports, the four new charges are related to injuries that range from scratches to a fractured neck. The most serious of these new counts of injuries were sustained by 18-year-old high school student Mason Endres, who has undergone two rounds of surgery.
Owens now faces 24 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The new charges were filed Friday, adding an additional US$500,000 to Owens’ US$5 million bail, according to jail records. Owens faces capital murder charges for the deaths of two people who died at the scene of the crash, but prosecutors have not said whether he will face charges for the two who died in hospital.
It was not immediately clear why Owens was charged with four new counts of aggravated assault. The 21-year-old aspiring rapper was arrested in Austin on 13th March for allegedly crashing his car into a crowd of SXSW attendees while trying to evade police officers. He was under the influence.
Watch: SXSW Crash Survivor Mason Endres Gets Private Concert in Hospital
