Group may have been chasing man before he was hit and killed on East Freeway, HPD says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man trying to cross the East Freeway may have been chased by a group of people before being fatally hit by several cars, according to investigators.

The Houston Police Department said the deadly incident happened at about 10:45 p.m. Monday near I-10 and Lockwood in the inbound lanes, near the Waco Street exit.

Authorities said a group of people apparently chased the victim onto the freeway before the man was hit by multiple vehicles. The group that was chasing him all fled the scene, according to police.

"The individual attempted to get away from them. From what we know, they were not armed. There was no physical contact. So at this time, it's not being investigated as a murder. It's definitely suspicious, and we will be investigating and trying to pull video and identify these individuals," HPD Sgt. David Rose said at the scene.

Rose said it's still unclear if the group may have been trying to stop the man from going into the freeway or if they were the cause.

Police are also searching for drivers who may have hit the man to help with the investigation.

"We believe we have the first two primary striking vehicles, but if you were involved in this crash or may have been driving in this location around that time last night and ran something over not knowing what it was... If you have damage with this crash, contact the Vehicular Crimes Division at 713 247-4072 so we can come out, interview you, take photos of your vehicle. If that happened to you, we are not considering you a hit-and-run driver at all," Rose said.

HPD said the medical examiner's office would collect the victim's remains and work to identify him.