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Neilson Rizzuto is led by cops at the scene after a pickup truck slammed into the crowd in New Orleans.
Neilson Rizzuto is led by cops at the scene after a pickup truck slammed into the crowd in New Orleans.The Advocate
The Advocate
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Parade spectators attend to injured revelers after a vehicle slammed into a crowd of people during Mardi Gras.The Advocate
Neilson Rizutto's mug shot
Neilson Rizutto's mug shot Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office.
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Newly released photos show cops arresting the purportedly intoxicated driver who slammed a pick-up into a Mardi Gras crowd Saturday, injuring 28 people.

Neilson Rizzuto, 25, allegedly plowed the grey Chevrolet into a crowd of revelers watching the Krewe of Endymion parade in the Mid-City section of New Orleans around 6:45 p.m.

The photos show the disheveled man, sweaty and clad in a maroon shirt, on the ground and in cuffs.

Rizzuto was slapped with two charges of first-degree vehicular negligence, hit-and-run driving, and the reckless operation of a motor vehicle.

It remains unclear why the driver was not also hit with DUI charges, as local police have repeatedly referred to Rizzuto as a “drunk driver.”

Other snaps depict shell-shocked parade-watchers tending to those injured in the crash, which local police have not described as an instance of terrorism.

“We suspect that that subject was highly intoxicated,” Police Chief Michael Harrison said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation in New Orleans said its agents were “coordinating with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to determine whether a federal violation has occurred.”

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