Crime spree suspect who hit and killed Westlake High School student appears in court
Ventura County authorities said the man suspected of plowing his vehicle into a group of Westlake High School students in Thousand Oaks, killing one, faces 12 felony charges. Thursday he made an appearance in court.
The accused driver is 24-year-old Austin Eis. His arraignment was continued until May. He is in jail with no bail.
The collision happened on Tuesday around 3:40 p.m. across the street from the high school. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department said two 15-year-old boys, a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl were hit. One student died at the scene, one is in critical condition and two others suffered minor injuries.
The 15-year-old who died was identified by family members as Wesley Welling. A GoFundMe has been created to help cover his funeral expenses.
The family of the victim was in the Superior Court of Ventura County Thursday.
Authorities say the car flipped over following the crash and trapped the driver inside. They also noted that after the crash, he attempted to grab a gun but was quickly taken into custody before he could do so.
Eis was arrested. He faces multiple felony charges including:
- murder
- attempted murder
- assault with a deadly weapon
- burglary
- attempted robbery
- kidnapping
- felony use of tear gas
- resisting a police officer.
Investigators have discovered that Eis, who is now homeless, is a former student of the high school. They believe that he hit the group of students intentionally but gave no further details.
Ventura County Sheriff's Department Commander Jeremy Paris said to help them determine what exactly happened they are looking at the suspect's driving patterns and talking to witnesses about his actions before the crash.
Eis is also wanted for other crimes in Simi Valley including stabbing an employee at a Walmart and a domestic dispute in Camarillo.
One person, a man in his 60s, was hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries in the stabbing, after Eis allegedly assaulted him with a "machete-style hunting knife."
After the stabbing, Eis is said to have driven to his family's home in Camarillo, where he is entered their condo without permission and threatened them with both a gun and a knife.
Family members were unavailable for comment on Wednesday, but some neighbors say it was the first time they'd ever seen him in the area.
"I know his stepmom's house is here, and apparently he had a gun up to her head and pulled out the hunting knife that he used at the Walmart," said one resident who wished to remain anonymous.
Detectives are still working to determine a motive behind the crime spree, including why he crashed into the group of students.
Eis is expected to be arraigned on Thursday.
