One person is dead and seven others were injured after a driver plowed a pickup truck into a group of people outside a Colorado bar and grill early Sunday in what authorities suspect was an intentional act.
The driver, Rubén Marquez, 29, was arrested on charges including murder after he allegedly fled the scene at the Rock Rest Lodge in Golden in a Chevy Silverado shortly after 1:30 a.m., he said. the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
One man was pronounced dead at the scene and four other men were taken to a local hospital with serious injuries. The remaining three victims suffered minor injuries, authorities said.
The violence allegedly occurred after a fight between Marquez, his passenger Ernesto DeJesus Avila, 25, to whom the truck is registered, and some of the victims, authorities said, citing witnesses.
After the people were separated by restaurant staff, Marquez allegedly got into the truck that was parked outside the restaurant, reversed the vehicle, and then drove it into the crowd of people, which included restaurant staff . The vehicle was subsequently stopped by an officer who responded to the scene.
Marquez faces charges of first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault and three counts of second-degree assault. Avila faces charges of first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault and three counts of second-degree assault. A third passenger in the vehicle does not face charges, authorities said.
The violent violence was apparently not unique to Colorado early Sunday.
In Tampa, Florida, police said a person fired a gun at a group of people outside a downtown cigar and martini lounge shortly before 3 a.m. after a verbal altercation.
The shooting left one man dead and six others shot and requiring medical attention for non-life-threatening injuries. No arrests had been made as of Sunday afternoon, police said.
