1 Useless, 7 Injured After Automobile Plows Into Crowd At Colorado Restaurant: Sheriff

One person is dead and seven others 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.

Driver Ruben Marquez, 29, was taken into custody on charges including murder after allegedly fleeing the scene of the Rock Rest Lodge in Golden in a Chevy Silverado just after 1:30 a.m., the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene and four other men were transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. The remaining three victims suffered minor injuries, authorities said.

The violence allegedly followed a fight involving Marquez, his passenger Ernesto DeJesus Avila, 25, who the truck is registered to, and some of the victims, authorities said citing witnesses.

After the people were separated by the restaurant’s staff, Marquez allegedly got into the truck that was parked outside the restaurant, backed up the vehicle and then drove it into the crowd of people, which included restaurant staff. The vehicle was later stopped by a deputy responding to the scene.

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Marquez faces charges of first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault, and three counts of second-degree assault. Avila faces charges of accessory to first-degree murder, three counts of accessory to first-degree assault, and three counts of accessory to second-degree assault. A third passenger in the vehicle is not facing charges, authorities said.

The hot-headed violence apparently wasn’t exclusive to Colorado early Sunday.

In Tampa, Florida, police said a person fired a gun at a group of people outside of a downtown cigar and martini lounge just before 3 a.m. following 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.