Driver hits and kills bystander while chasing after girlfriend on Corder Street in southeast Houston, HPD says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Four siblings are grieving the sudden loss of their mother after police say she was struck and killed by a car while standing in her own driveway in southeast Houston.

The crash happened Tuesday around 4:30 p.m. on the 3500 block of Corder Street, near Highway 288. Houston police believe the driver who hit the woman was chasing his girlfriend following an argument moments earlier. Much of what happened was captured on nearby surveillance cameras.

The victim has been identified as Xochitl Santos, a mother of four. Police say she was in her driveway with some of her children when two cars sped down the residential street.

Surveillance video shows a gold Toyota sedan driving past the home at a high rate of speed. Seconds later, a Chevy Cobalt followed, allegedly attempting to catch up. Instead, police say, the second vehicle struck Santos, killing her.

A neighbor, Ramiah Wallace, said she heard the crash from inside her home and immediately called 911.

“I was just in my room, and I heard a loud crash,” Wallace said. “At first, I didn’t know if it was far away, then it sounded closer, so I ran upstairs to see what was going on.”

Investigators say the events leading up to the crash began around the corner at the Vermillion Apartments. Witnesses and police report that a man and a woman were involved in a heated argument in the apartment complex parking lot.

Surveillance footage from the complex shows the woman driving away in the gold sedan. Moments later, police say the man followed in the Chevy. As both vehicles turned onto Corder Street, the crash occurred seconds later.

Robert White, who reviewed video from his office cameras, said he watched the incident unfold.

“I saw the car come out of the apartments speeding around the corner,” White said. “Then, I saw my employees run out after the crash to help.”

Houston police say the man driving the Chevy remains under arrest, and charges are pending.

Meanwhile, Santos’ children say they are devastated by the sudden and violent loss of their mother. Neighbors say the crash has left the community shaken and angry.

“I’m so mad that people engage in reckless stupidity,” Wallace said. “Now someone lost their life, and children lost their mother over something that probably didn’t even matter.”

Residents told ABC13 the man and woman involved no longer lived at the apartment complex but had returned Tuesday to visit friends before the argument escalated.

The investigation remains ongoing.