2 Pupils Die, 20 Hurt as Pickup Plows Into Ceremony at School
MEXICO CITY -- After months of complaining that a preschool’s daily flag ceremony blocked access to his house, a man raced his pickup truck into a crowd of toddlers gathered in a quiet street outside Mexico City, killing two children and injuring about 20 others.
Jose Luis Nieto, a 56-year-old mechanic who lived near the school, was arrested. He admitted carrying out the attack Monday in Ecatepec, saying that he had wanted to hurt one of the teachers.
An amateur video shows a man who appears to be Nieto trying to talk to adults watching the flag ceremony.
The footage shows him climbing into his pickup, backing up briefly and ramming the truck full force into the crowd of about 100 children and teachers, dragging several bodies down the street.
Moments before, children wearing colorful soldiers’ uniforms marched with the Mexican flag while others watched or banged on drums.
The crash killed 2-year-old Ariadna Martinez and 3-year-old Rodrigo Reyes. Several adults and about 20 other children, including a 4-month-old baby, were injured, some severely, police said.
In an interview with local TV stations, Nieto admitted driving the truck.
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