Two killed, five injured in Brookside auto-ped

By Jeffrey Smith, for NEWS 9

TULSA, OK -- A Tulsa man is in jail for allegedly driving his car into a busy parking lot and killing two men. The incident happened in Brookside Saturday morning around 2 a.m.

Police said 24-year-old Andrew Mathis intentionally slammed his car into a crowd of at least seven people.

Officers said those people were coming to the aid of a man that Mathis had knocked unconscious in a fist fight just moments before.

What started out as a fun Halloween night, turned into a real-life nightmare.

"Nothing like that has ever happened, ever. Especially right here on the strip, no never," said Brookside Bartender Brian Raska.

Police said Mathis and a buddy got into fistfight with a several people in a parking lot behind several popular Brookside bars.

Investigators said Mathis was angry at his ex-girlfriend for hanging out with a group of men.

After getting in a fistfight and knocking one man out cold, police say Mathis got into his car and took dead aim at the crowd.

Raska works at a restaurant in front of the crime scene. He says what happened is appalling to think about.

"Uh, you get your fair share (fights), but you have a lot of bars, so that's going to happen anywhere, you know, where liquor is served. But they have that pretty well under control. But as far as running people over, this is the first I ever, since I've been in Tulsa for 22 years, I've never heard of someone getting run over in the back of a bar. It's insanity," said Raska.

Two men, David Cox and Carlos Lopez, were pinned underneath the car and killed.

Two other men arrived at the hospital in serious condition and several more victims were treated at the scene.

Mathis has been arrested on two complaints of first degree murder and five complaints of assault with a deadly weapon.

Officers at the scene said there were no skid marks or other indicators that Mathis made any attempt to slow down before hitting the pedestrians. They say they believe alcohol was a contributing factor in the crime.

Mathis is being held without bond at the Tulsa County Jail.

Anyone who has more information regarding the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 596-COPS or Tulsa police at 596-9222.