HOUSTON, TX – Early this morning, a tragic incident unfolded on the 2400 block of San Jacinto, leaving one pedestrian dead and a suspect in custody. Around 3 a.m., patrolling officers heard what sounded like gunshots. Upon investigating, they discovered a pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle.
Witnesses informed officers that the driver fled northbound toward downtown. With the help of these witnesses, officers were able to apprehend the suspect on the 1200 block of Jefferson, just north of the Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral.
Preliminary reports suggest that a domestic dispute inside a nightclub on San Jacinto escalated into violence. Security staff managed to break up the altercation between the suspect and his girlfriend, who is also the primary witness. The couple left the establishment, but the situation took a deadly turn when the suspect got into his vehicle and began driving erratically, hitting multiple cars.
It appears the suspect intended to strike his girlfriend with the vehicle. She managed to avoid being hit, but an innocent bystander walking on the sidewalk was not as fortunate. The pedestrian, later identified as the manager of one of the nightclubs, was pronounced dead at the scene by Houston Fire Department personnel.
The suspect is now in custody, and both the homicide and vehicle crimes divisions are involved in the investigation. Authorities are considering murder charges due to the suspect’s intentional actions. The case is being treated with the same severity as if the suspect had used a firearm, given that he used his vehicle as a deadly weapon.