Couple charged after crash injures 4 cyclists in South Austin

Two people face charges after their Buick sedan crashed into a group of cyclists in South Austin on Saturday, sending four people to the hospital, including one who was in critical condition over the weekend, Austin police said.

Devin Donnel Rodriguez, 25, was charged with driving with an invalid license after the incident.

According to his arrest affidavit, he had been driving a Buick sedan near South Pleasant Valley Road and Elmont Drive early Saturday morning when he struck a group of four cyclists.

When police arrived at the scene, they found “a debris field of smashed bicycles and parts that spanned approximately three blocks,” the affidavit said. Four people were bleeding in the street with obvious injuries, police said. All were taken to Dell Seton Medical Center. One was discovered to be bleeding inside her brain, the affidavit said.

Rodriguez admitted to having fallen asleep at the wheel before the crash, the affidavit said. He remained at the scene to talk with authorities after the incident.

A passenger in Rodriguez’s vehicle, Amanda Sanchez Flores, 32, fled the scene, police said. According to her arrest affidavit, she stole a Jeep Grand Cherokee from a man that had stopped to help the injured cyclists. She was later arrested on South Pleasant Valley Road.

Flores was charged with auto theft and possession of a controlled substance. She is being held at the Travis County Jail with bail set at $25,000. Rodriguez is also in the Travis County Jail with bail set at $7,500.