The bail of a Texas man who has been accused of driving through a crowd while drunk has bee set at $3 million, according to court records.
Killeen native Rashad Charjuan Owens has reportedly been booked into Travis County jail and faces one count of capital murder, said The Associated Report as cited by the Los Angeles Times. It has been said that Owens will be slapped with additional charges later.
LA Times said that Owens was in the festival in the hopes of showcasing his music. The brother of the aspiring rapper and music producer was quoted by The Statesman that prior to the incident, he had planned to perform at Club 1808 early on Thursday, which is one mile from the Mohawk club on Red River Street.
Police have said that Owens was stopped minutes after midnight outside the music festival. Owens allegedly fled the police after and had driven his car the wrong way as it was a one-way street. Owens then had hit Amsterdam music booking and promotion agency MassiveMusic's Steven Craenmehr, who was riding his bicycle at that time. Craenmehr was declared dead on the scene, LA Times said.
On Friday, MassiveMusic commemorated the loss of its colleague on its website, which read, "It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our close friend and colleague Steven Craenmehr, 35, on March 13, 2014 at SXSW. During the 8 years that Steven worked for MassiveMusic, we got to know him as an unstoppable force, full of life, love and laughter. This is an irreplaceable loss for the MassiveMusic family and we are grateful for the years we spent with him. Our thoughts are with Steven's family and friends."
27-year-old Jamie Ranae West was also killed by Owens when he struck her moped she was riding at the time of the incident. Officials of the Austin-area hospitals have said that eight other victims have suffered injuries due to Owen's drunk driving.
