Police in Austin, Texas arrested a suspect Friday following a 17-vehicle crash that left five people dead, including a child and an infant.
Solomun Araya, 37, is now facing five counts of Intoxication Manslaughter and two counts of Intoxication Assault following the massive pileup late Thursday night in the North Austin area. Police said Araya is being held at the Travis County Jail.
Austin-Travis County EMS previously said several people were “pinned in their vehicles” following the wreck, which involved a semi-truck and also left 12 people injured. A police spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Araya was driving the truck.
“5 patients (3 adults, 1 child, 1 infant) have been pronounced deceased on scene,” Austin-Travis County EMS wrote on X.
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Solomun Araya, left, was arrested by the Austin Police Department following a crash along I-35 late last night that left five people dead. (Austin Police Department/KTBC)
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.
Of the 12 people who were injured, three of them are children, officials said.
The portion of I-35 southbound where the crash happened appeared to be closed Friday.
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Several people were “pinned in their vehicles” following the crash late Thursday night, according to Austin-Travis County EMS. (KTBC)
“All lanes of N IH 35 SB are shut down and will be for several hours. Please avoid the area, expect delays, and find alternate routes,” the Austin Police Department wrote on X.
Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Christa Stedman told CBS Austin that “This incident was incredibly chaotic and it was spread out over about a 10th of a mile.
First responders are seen early Friday, March 14, at the crash scene along I-35 southbound in North Austin. (KTBC)
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“So without the collaboration of our partners, we would not have been able to manage the scene as well as we did,” she added.