Murder charge filed against driver in Westlake High crash
The driver in Tuesday's crash that killed a 15-year-old Westlake High School student was charged with murder Thursday, among other criminal violations.
Austin Allen Eis, 24, appeared in Ventura County Superior Court via Zoom to be arraigned for the crash that killed Thousand Oaks resident Wesley Welling and hospitalized three other teens. Authorities allege the collision was intentional.
Prosecutors also charged Eis in two incidents that took place Tuesday before the crash, including an alleged stabbing at a Simi Valley Walmart and a domestic incident at a Camarillo home.
He now faces one count of murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of misdemeanor knife brandishing, and one count each of using tear gas, commercial burglary, false imprisonment by violence and residential burglary. Sheriff's officials described him as a transient resident of Ventura County.
Bail denied
Eis appeared through a small slit in his cell door during Thursday's arraignment, his face shrouded in shadow. He did not enter a plea and the case was continued one month.
Eis was assigned a public defender and his bail was withdrawn by Judge Nancy Ayers, who said the risk to public safety was "sufficiently weighty" to deny bail. Senior Deputy District Attorney Amber Lee is prosecuting the case.
Several family members of the crash victims attended the hearing, including Welling's mother Kelly Welling. They declined to comment on the proceedings.
“Everybody loved him,” Welling said Wednesday about her late son. “I’m finding out how many more people loved him than I already knew about from this whole thing."
A GoFundMe fundraiser for the Welling family had raised more than $227,000 from thousands of donors as of 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
One hour, three crime scenes
The alleged crime spree began at 2:40 p.m. Tuesday inside a Walmart at 255 W. Cochran St. Simi Valley police said Eis pepper-sprayed and inflicted multiple stab wounds on a male store worker. Eis then reportedly assaulted and tried to drag away a female employee, lunging at intervening employees with the large knife before fleeing in a white Toyota Camry. The stabbed worker was taken to a trauma center and later said to be in stable condition.
Around 3:20 p.m., sheriff deputies responded to a domestic disturbance on Shadetree Way in Camarillo. Eis had reportedly broken into the home, which belonged to a family member. Sheriff's officials said he threatened multiple victims with a knife and brandished a firearm before fleeing. No injuries were reported.
The crash in Thousand Oaks took place shortly before 3:40 p.m. near the corner of Lakeview Canyon Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, at a bus stop across from the Westlake High School campus.
Eis hit four victims with his car, which flipped over from the impact. Welling died, while two girls, 14 and 16, and a boy, 15, were hospitalized. Two of the injured victims were released from the hospital by Wednesday, while the third remained in stable condition, according to a Ventura County Medical Center spokesperson.
Eis, who reportedly suffered minor injuries, was arrested after being medically cleared by a hospital. He had attended Westlake High, authorities said, and was part of the 2017 class. While authorities allege the crash was intentional, they have also said the attacks, including at the Walmart, were unprovoked with no apparent motive.
“Our county collectively mourns this tragic loss of life and the injuries that have been suffered and our office will continue to pursue justice and accountability on behalf of the victims and their families," Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a statement.
Eis will appear in court next at 1:30 p.m. May 19 in courtroom 13. He remains in custody at county jail without bail.
Jeremy Childs is the East County Reporter for the Ventura County Star, covering the communities of Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and Simi Valley. He occasionally covers courts, public safety and breaking news. He can be reached at 805-437-0208, jeremy.childs@vcstar.com, and on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Austin Eis, driver in fatal Westlake High crash, charged with murder
