SXSW, St. Patrick's Day & Spring Break All On The Same Day
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
AUSTIN (CBS 11 NEWS) - It was a combination many concert attendees in Austin on Tuesday had waited all year to happen.
"It's 10 times crazier this year than last year," said Erin Stansfield, a SXSW attendee.
St. Patrick's Day, Spring Break and the South By Southwest music festival all happened on the same day in 2015.
"All the planning you go through, it's right out the window when people are drinking," said Commander Tim Pruett with Austin Police.
Pruett remember last year when investigators said a suspected drunk driver plowed through the crowd were he allegedly killed four people and injured nearly two dozen.
"It was an intentional attack. So what we're trying to do is mitigate that availability for someone to do that again," said Pruett.
Every officer in Austin is working overtime and Pruett said the department has even brought in state troopers and the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission to help in 2015.
"Something that we'll do is look at wait lines," said Pruett.
He also said officers are much more aggressive this year with code enforcement and have put up more barricades for traffic.
"I think everyone is out here to have a good time and enjoy themselves. Hopefully nothing like that happens again," said Stansfield.
At 12:00 a.m. on Wednesday, several venues at SXSW held a moment of silence to honor and remember the victims of the incident from 2014.
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
