Ella Boulevard crash: Man dead, 3 hospitalized after chase ends in rollover crash
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A late-night chase ended in a deadly rollover crash that left one dead and multiple people hospitalized after officials were originally called about a parking lot takeover, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Deadly crash after police chase
What we know:
Captain Eric Albers with the Vehicular Crimes Division reports deputies were called around 11:05 p.m. to a parking lot take over near Veterans Memorial Drive and FM 1960.
A vehicle was allegedly doing donuts in the parking lot while accelerating at a high rate of speed while people inside were sitting on the doors.
Officials say a sheriff's office patrol unit arrived in the parking lot where they found the vehicles. The unit tried to do a traffic stop on one of the vehicles but the driver fled.
The vehicle went eastbound on FM 1960 before heading south on Ella Boulevard. During the chase, the driver turned off the vehicle's headlights, Capt. Albers said. The driver failed to stay in a single lane and, most likely, didn't see the curb.
Deputies report the vehicle struck a curb in the median, causing the driver to lose control at a high rate of speed. The car flipped onto its roof and side before coming to a rest on its wheels.
The sheriff's office says Jonanthan Garcia Molina, 24, was ejected from the car. He died at the scene.
An 18-year-old and two 17-year-olds were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The sheriff's office says they didn't have signs of intoxication and were later released.
Deputies also recovered firearms from inside the vehicle.
Capt. Albers reports that because deputies were actively pursuing the vehicle at the time of the crash without losing sight of it, the incident is officially classified as an in-custody death.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not yet identified who was driving the vehicle at the time of the crash.
The sheriff's office initially said a fifth person had possibly fled from the vehicle. It's unclear if they still believe that to be the case.
The Source: The information in this article comes from Harris County Sheriff's Office VCD Captain Eric Albers and a press release form the sheriff's office.