A man identified as James Novak, 34, of Waukesha, Wisconsin, was charged on Monday with a felony count of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle and a misdemeanor count of hit-and-run, among other charges, related to a crash that killed two people and injured more than a dozen others on Saturday during a Halloween street party.
Authorities say that Novak hit a group of people after refusing to stop after running a red light, CNN reports. A 19-year-old man and his girlfriend, both 18, were killed, while eight other people sustained injuries ranging from serious to life-threatening. Witnesses told police that Novak turned into traffic, without his lights or emergency flashers, and struck other cars. Novak then sped off and fled from police, who were able to track him down about 30 minutes later. He refused to give his name or comment, so authorities photographed him and later handed over the photos to Crime Stoppers.
An investigator said he did not appear to have any emotion when being arrested and placed in the back of a police vehicle. He had extensive, severe facial injuries.
A witness told police that Novak “sat there staring ahead like he didn’t care.” Other witnesses told police that he just stared straight ahead until he could exit the intersection.
The incident marked the deadliest car crash in Waukesha since 1999, a deadly time that saw 14 people killed in a crash involving alcohol and a drunken driver. Novak has no criminal record.
Read the full story at CNN.
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