BERWICK, Father. –
Pennsylvania State Police say a man upset about an argument with his mother drove through a crowd at a fundraiser for victims of a recent deadly house fire that killed one person at the event. sued and injured 17 others, then returned home and beat his mother. death.
Police identified the driver as Adrian Oswaldo Sura Reyes, 24, of Nescopeck, who was charged early Sunday with two counts of murder.
Police allege in a criminal complaint that Sura Reyes said he got into an argument with his mother at their Nescopeck home on Saturday night and that while driving through nearby Berwick was “extremely frustrated” and ” I’m tired of fighting my mother, including about money, and want it done.”
At the time, police said, a crowd of about 75 people, including adults and children, had gathered in a cordoned off parking lot in Berwick outside the Intoxicology Department bar, where the event was being held. an all-day fundraising event to benefit the victims of the August 5 fire in Nescopeck that killed 7 adults and 3 children.
Police say Sura Reyes told them he drove through the crowd, then turned around and headed back to the bar “to drive through the crowd.” Investigators asked him how fast he was driving and Sura Reyes replied “speed up.”
“Video surveillance obtained by the Pennsylvania State Police corroborates Sura Reyes’ claim that he purposefully entered the crowd,” according to the criminal complaint.
Geisinger Medical Center said it received 15 patients after the collision, and five remained in critical condition while three were listed in good condition, a hospital spokesman said on Thursday. Sunday morning. Seven patients were treated at hospitals and released.
Soldier Anthony Petroski III told reporters late Saturday that Sura Reyes is not currently a suspect in the fire, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“This is a complete tragedy in a community where there has been a tragedy,” said Petroski.
Shortly after the accident was reported, soldiers were called about a man who “physically assaulted” a woman less than two miles away in Nescopeck. Soldiers arrived and found that local police had arrested Sura Reyes and a dead woman.
Luzerne County coroner Francis Hacken on Sunday confirmed that the victim, Rosa D. Reyes, 56, of Nescopeck, was the mother of Sura Reyes and died of multiple injuries after being hit by a vehicle and being struck hammer attack.
In the criminal complaint, police said Sura Reyes told investigators he saw his mother on the street when he returned home and beat her with his car, then hit her with a hammer several times.
Sura Reyes was denied bail and remained in a District of Columbia prison awaiting a preliminary hearing on Aug. 29. Newspapers reported that he said “Sorry” to reporters’ questions as he She was taken to Shickshinny police station.
The first funerals for the victims of the fire were held on Friday, and other funerals were scheduled for Sunday and Monday.
Thanh called the events an “absolute tragedy” and said on his Facebook page that they would be closed until further notice and wanted privacy “while we grieving more trying to process it.” events happened.”
