HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — An 18-year-old is now charged with murder after police said a chase with deputies led to a deadly crash in southeast Houston, records show.
According to investigators, a passenger in the suspect’s car was killed.
Charging documents state Ruben Mendoza also faces a weapons charge, after investigators said he was found in a vehicle with a handgun, but jail records state he bonded out a day before the deadly crash.
The Houston Police Department said Mendoza was behind the wheel of a blue Dodge Charger on Saturday morning, leading Harris County Precinct 2 Constable deputies on a chase on and off the Gulf Freeway, ending at the intersection of Almeda, Genoa, and Clearwood.
“As they’re coming through this intersection – you can see there’s a dip — they’re at a high rate of speed, go airborne, they lose control, and end up crashing sideways on the driver’s side into a tree,” Sgt. Derrick Hall with HPD said.
Police said there were two people in the vehicle, and somehow the driver, Mendoza, is still alive.
“It’s a male passenger. Unfortunately, he’s deceased. We had a family member out here; she’s been notified. It’s just so tragic, so close to Christmas,” Sgt. Hall said.
Surveillance video obtained by ABC13 shows just how fast law enforcement said Mendoza was driving, it shows his Dodge Charger zooming through the intersection.
It’s still unclear if drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.
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