Happens in US too!!! ... Crowd kills man after car hits child - Team-BHP

DriverR · 21st June 2007, 20:28

AUSTIN, Texas - Police urged witnesses to come forward and help them find the mob that beat a man to death after the car he was riding in apparently struck and injured a child.

Investigators were struggling to piece together what happened Tuesday when David Rivas Morales died defending the driver from members of a crowd. There could have been anywhere from two to 20 attackers, Austin Police Commander Harold Piatt said.

The car in which Morales, 40, was a passenger had entered an apartment complex's parking lot when it struck a 2-year-old boy, Piatt said. The boy was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver got out of the car to check on the child and was confronted by several people, Piatt said. When they attacked the driver, Morales got out of the car to protect the driver and was attacked as well. Police said no guns or knives were used.

The driver got away and is cooperating with investigators. Police identified the child as Michael Hosea Jr.

There were conflicting accounts of how many people were in the area. Police originally estimated 2,000 to 3,000 and a woman who lives at the complex said hundreds who had been at a Juneteenth festival filled the parking lot and street.

But late Wednesday police spokeswoman Toni Chovanetz said only 20 people were in the area where the assault occurred.

Chovanetz also said there was no connection to the nearby city-sponsored festival for Juneteenth, which commemorates Texas slaves getting the word that they had been freed.

Margaret Morales said a young boy came to her door to tell her that her brother was lying on the ground outside. She found David Morales, sprawled on the pavement 100 feet from her townhouse, battered and choking on blood.

She said her mother came running after hearing her screams, but police wouldn't let either of them get close to him.

Police arrived one minute after receiving a 911 call, by which time the beating had stopped, Chovanetz said. But the Morales family complained that medical help was slow in coming.

Chovanetz said witnesses told police that three or four men attacked Morales, knocking him to the ground. A man got out of another vehicle and hit Morales again, Chovanetz said.

David Morales arrived at the hospital about 35 minutes after the 911 call was received, said Warren Hassinger, Austin-Travis County Emergency Services spokesman. Emergency officials said police ordered them to wait until the area was secure.

Several hundred people had filled the parking lot and street as the daylong festival at a nearby park ended and spilled over into the surrounding neighborhoods, said Katherine White, a Morales family friend who lives in a townhouse next door to where the beating took place.

Margaret Morales said her brother, who was staying with her, was a painter on his way home from work. The driver, whom she knew only as Victor, picked him up and dropped him off everyday, she said.

The Morales family remembered David as a caring brother who loved the San Antonio Spurs and was thrilled when they won the NBA title last week. Earl White, Katherine's brother, said David Morales enjoyed sitting on the porch, watching the neighborhood children play in the parking lot.
"I just want the people caught and brought to justice," another sister, Elizabeth Morales, said. "I want them to feel the same pain that they caused my brother."

Crowd kills man after car hits child - Yahoo! News

cheap_deal · 22nd June 2007, 00:03

moral of the story- dont try to be a hero especially when a mob is involved.
good thing atleast they took the child to a hospital while thrashing up the driver and the hero.

speedzak · 22nd June 2007, 02:13

Lessons learnt:

Don't hit a child with your car. Not even in US.
If you hit a child, then sometimes, it is better to run to the nearest police station rather than trying to help out the child there.
If a child gets hit and the driver is attacked in US, it is a headline news.
There are children on the roads in US whom are capable of being hit by vehicles.

vivekiny2k · 22nd June 2007, 02:18

more than an accident aftermath, it cud have been racial/anti-immigrant sentiments at work. his name sounds like hispanic.

add to it the festival spirit(s) at work.

Nitin · 22nd June 2007, 02:29

The sad thing is that the driver got down to check on the child, and instead of helping the driver, they took out all their wrath on him & the passenger.

blueraven316 · 22nd June 2007, 14:21

There was constructiuon happening in that locality and the kids were playing in the parking lot which is not safe as cars move a whole lot faster than India out there, so, God knows who's fault but Mr Morales Turned out very very unlucky.

The difference is the cops there will find the people who were involved in the beating whereas here cops will be beating the currency notes out of as many pockets as they can of whoever is involved whether or not they touched the victim or not.

Deepz · 22nd June 2007, 16:31

Hearing about such incidents really take out the fun factor of 'driving', now there's fear instead at times.

21st June 2007, 20:28	#1 (permalink)
DriverR BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 145	Happens in US too!!! ... Crowd kills man after car hits child AUSTIN, Texas - Police urged witnesses to come forward and help them find the mob that beat a man to death after the car he was riding in apparently struck and injured a child. Investigators were struggling to piece together what happened Tuesday when David Rivas Morales died defending the driver from members of a crowd. There could have been anywhere from two to 20 attackers, Austin Police Commander Harold Piatt said. The car in which Morales, 40, was a passenger had entered an apartment complex's parking lot when it struck a 2-year-old boy, Piatt said. The boy was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver got out of the car to check on the child and was confronted by several people, Piatt said. When they attacked the driver, Morales got out of the car to protect the driver and was attacked as well. Police said no guns or knives were used. The driver got away and is cooperating with investigators. Police identified the child as Michael Hosea Jr. There were conflicting accounts of how many people were in the area. Police originally estimated 2,000 to 3,000 and a woman who lives at the complex said hundreds who had been at a Juneteenth festival filled the parking lot and street. But late Wednesday police spokeswoman Toni Chovanetz said only 20 people were in the area where the assault occurred. Chovanetz also said there was no connection to the nearby city-sponsored festival for Juneteenth, which commemorates Texas slaves getting the word that they had been freed. Margaret Morales said a young boy came to her door to tell her that her brother was lying on the ground outside. She found David Morales, sprawled on the pavement 100 feet from her townhouse, battered and choking on blood. She said her mother came running after hearing her screams, but police wouldn't let either of them get close to him. Police arrived one minute after receiving a 911 call, by which time the beating had stopped, Chovanetz said. But the Morales family complained that medical help was slow in coming. Chovanetz said witnesses told police that three or four men attacked Morales, knocking him to the ground. A man got out of another vehicle and hit Morales again, Chovanetz said. David Morales arrived at the hospital about 35 minutes after the 911 call was received, said Warren Hassinger, Austin-Travis County Emergency Services spokesman. Emergency officials said police ordered them to wait until the area was secure. Several hundred people had filled the parking lot and street as the daylong festival at a nearby park ended and spilled over into the surrounding neighborhoods, said Katherine White, a Morales family friend who lives in a townhouse next door to where the beating took place. Margaret Morales said her brother, who was staying with her, was a painter on his way home from work. The driver, whom she knew only as Victor, picked him up and dropped him off everyday, she said. The Morales family remembered David as a caring brother who loved the San Antonio Spurs and was thrilled when they won the NBA title last week. Earl White, Katherine's brother, said David Morales enjoyed sitting on the porch, watching the neighborhood children play in the parking lot. "I just want the people caught and brought to justice," another sister, Elizabeth Morales, said. "I want them to feel the same pain that they caused my brother." Crowd kills man after car hits child - Yahoo! News __________________ *Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.*

22nd June 2007, 02:13	#3 (permalink)
speedzak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ernakulam, Cochin. It'll soon be at the Deserts! Posts: 3,464 View My Garage	Lessons learnt: Don't hit a child with your car. Not even in US. If you hit a child, then sometimes, it is better to run to the nearest police station rather than trying to help out the child there. If a child gets hit and the driver is attacked in US, it is a headline news. There are children on the roads in US whom are capable of being hit by vehicles. __________________ The squeaking wheel doesn't always get the grease. Sometimes it gets replaced!!

22nd June 2007, 02:18	#4 (permalink)
vivekiny2k BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Loveland, OH (cincinnati area), jabalpur, chennai Posts: 638 View My Garage	more than an accident aftermath, it cud have been racial/anti-immigrant sentiments at work. his name sounds like hispanic. add to it the festival spirit(s) at work. __________________ ______________________________________ with great power, comes great responsibility. bigger the car, longer the cleaning time.

22nd June 2007, 02:29	#5 (permalink)
Nitin Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 1,813 View My Garage	The sad thing is that the driver got down to check on the child, and instead of helping the driver, they took out all their wrath on him & the passenger. Last edited by aah78 : 22nd June 2007 at 19:42. Reason: deleted remarks on populace.

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22nd June 2007, 00:03	#2 (permalink)
cheap_deal BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: unknown Posts: 426	moral of the story- dont try to be a hero especially when a mob is involved. good thing atleast they took the child to a hospital while thrashing up the driver and the hero.

22nd June 2007, 14:21	#6 (permalink)
blueraven316 BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 897 View My Garage	There was constructiuon happening in that locality and the kids were playing in the parking lot which is not safe as cars move a whole lot faster than India out there, so, God knows who's fault but Mr Morales Turned out very very unlucky. The difference is the cops there will find the people who were involved in the beating whereas here cops will be beating the currency notes out of as many pockets as they can of whoever is involved whether or not they touched the victim or not.

22nd June 2007, 16:31	#7 (permalink)
Deepz BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Jakarta(originally bombay) Posts: 96	Hearing about such incidents really take out the fun factor of 'driving', now there's fear instead at times.