Overview
- Michael Brown, 22, was pronounced dead on March 20 after a March 14 crash on State Highway 361 near Cinnamon Shore and Access Road 1A in Port Aransas, according to the medical examiner.
- Police said video taken moments before the wreck showed Brown standing and dancing on the Jeep’s roof, and separate footage captured EMS treating an injured person beside the shattered vehicle.
- The Jeep collided with a Tesla during the outing, and Port Aransas police said Brown was thrown from the vehicle and suffered a severe head injury.
- The driver, identified as Riley Rhoades, 24, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of DWI after breath tests registered .14 and .12 BAC, above Texas’s .08 limit, and he was charged with intoxication assault.
- Texas DPS is investigating the case as a DWI crash, and local officials reported stepped-up spring break enforcement with multiple drunk driving arrests as the small beach town handled large visitor crowds.