Crowd Kills Man After Car Hits Child

[leobold1]

Crowd Kills Man After Car Hits Child

Jun 20 10:58 PM US/Eastern
By LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON
Associated Press Writer

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Police on Wednesday were pleading for witnesses to help them track down members of an angry 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 leaving a Juneteenth celebration. 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 3- or 4-year-old child, Piatt said. The child 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, who are not releasing his name.

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, department spokeswoman Toni Chovanetz said. But the Morales family complained that medical help was slow in coming.

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.

An estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people were in the area for a city- sponsored festival for Juneteenth, which commemorates Texas slaves getting the word that they had been freed.

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.

Police said the injured child was a girl, but White said it was a boy with long hair he wears in ponytails.

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."

[las47032]

Where were the child's parents, and why weren't the parents supervising the child?

Mob mentality. Cowards. Oh so brave while in a crowd, but lack courage when dealing one on one.

Similar incident happened in Milwaukee.
JS Online: Violence erupts after Juneteenth celebration

[leobold1]

Las, there's a difference. One was just out-of-control chaos (Milwaukee). Violence for violence's sake. The other was a kid getting hit by a car.

The TV news has the driver saying he wasn't watching where he was going or what was in front of the car. He turned to the guy who died to make the punchline to a joke and "then I felt a thump."

I'm sure his story will change by the time he goes to court.

I, personally, would have no problem with beating the holy living snot out of someone for hitting my kid, or any kid, with a car when we're playing outside. I drive through the apartment complex parking lot at 5 mph because I see kids run out all the time.

Driving is a privledge, not a right. And with that privledge comes certain responsibilities. The main one is LOOK WHERE YOU'RE GOING!

[las47032]

Originally Posted by leobold1

Las, there's a difference. One was just out-of-control chaos (Milwaukee). Violence for violence's sake. The other was a kid getting hit by a car.

The TV news has the driver saying he wasn't watching where he was going or what was in front of the car. He turned to the guy who died to make the punchline to a joke and "then I felt a thump."

I'm sure his story will change by the time he goes to court.

I, personally, would have no problem with beating the holy living snot out of someone for hitting my kid, or any kid, with a car when we're playing outside. I drive through the apartment complex parking lot at 5 mph because I see kids run out all the time.

Driving is a privledge, not a right. And with that privledge comes certain responsibilities. The main one is LOOK WHERE YOU'RE GOING!

Because the kid was hit by a car justifies murder?

Once again, where was the kid's parent or parents. Why wasn't the child being supervised?

Agreed, always be on guard while driving especially when there are children in the area.

As a parent (daughter grown, married and raising a family) I understand where you are coming from if some one injured your child with a car or other means. Yet, is it worth going to jail for beating or killing the perpetrator? Rather difficult to nurture a child while behind bars, and can't hug and do things together.

The driver needs to be held accounatable and the person or individuals who killed Morales.

[StrBrite]

Originally Posted by las47032

Because the kid was hit by a car justifies murder?

Once again, where was the kid's parent or parents. Why wasn't the child being supervised?

Agreed, always be on guard while driving especially when there are children in the area.

As a parent (daughter grown, married and raising a family) I understand where you are coming from if some one injured your child with a car or other means. Yet, is it worth going to jail for beating or killing the perpetrator? Rather difficult to nurture a child while behind bars, and can't hug and do things together.

The driver needs to be held accounatable and the person or individuals who killed Morales.

I agree totally with you.
My son was hit by a drunk driver years ago and I was furious. I wanted to beat the hell out of him but instead put my focus on my son. I figured the law would punish him but unfortuantly he got off because he admitted himself into a rehab. The man was elderly and had alot of drunk driving convictions in the past.

I do wonder where the parents of this child is because he or she is so young. My child was a teenager and riding his bike at the time.

I also keep in mind that sometimes children dart out into traffic from between parked cars or in a place that we as drivers can not see them.

I always drive slow because of this and yes a child has run out in front of me in the past and I had to jam on my brakes and thankfully I did not hit him. I did however scream at the kid and his mother because I was shaking and mad and I know I would have a difficult time living with myself if I ever hit a child

This driver admits he was not paying attention so it is fully his fault but the passenger should not have been beaten and NO ONE should have been killed

[leobold1]

Las, I'm not saying the answer was murder. A good a$$ kicking, yes. The fact the guy died is terrible and wrong. And those who did it should be hunted down and prosecuted.

The point I was trying to make is the difference between the Milwaukee riots and this one. Just driving your car through a neighborhood isn't a reason to get beat up. If you hit a small child with your car while driving through a neighborhood is a DAMN good reason to get your butt kicked.

[SherryGrace]

The man they killed WAS NOT THE DRIVER.

HE DID NOT DESERVE TO DIE NOR GET HIS ASS KICKED.

HE WASN'T DRIVING.

That mob was just that...a mob. They wanted to kill someone...anyone, and they did. An innocent man.

They should be located, tried, convicted, and put to death.

At least they would die GUILTY of murder...the man they killed died a completely innocent man.