Man convicted of driving into student runners in Oklahoma

In this Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, file photo, emergency crews respond to a scene where a vehicle hit several Moore High School students in Moore, Okla. (Chris Landsberger/The Oklahoman via AP, File)

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — A man on trial for crashing into an Oklahoma high school cross-country team, killing three and injuring several others, has been found guilty of murder.

Cleveland County jurors on Friday found Max Townsend guilty of three counts of second-degree murder. The 58-year-old was also found guilty of three counts of leaving the scene of a fatality accident and four counts of leaving the scene of an injury accident.

Prosecutors said Townsend accelerated his pickup truck to 77 mph before crashing into the runners from Moore High School in suburban Oklahoma City in February 2020.