The incident began at the intersection of I-45 and Broadway, where witnesses say the driver of a white SUV sped onto the northbound access road and slammed into several vehicles. The impact triggered a multi-car pileup that killed one woman and damaged numerous other vehicles, according to police.
"He sped up and clipped my car a little bit, not bad," said driver Rosalind Scallion, who was driving along when she got caught in the midst of the chaos. "Then he hit that SUV and then he missed another car, and then he hit the truck and hit the pole."
Another witness, Juan Nava, said his girlfriend's car was struck in the crash. When Nava approached the suspect immediately afterward, the encounter turned violent.
"He pulled out a knife and tried to cut me, and he pulled out a gun and tried to shoot," Nava said. Multiple witnesses reported hearing gunshots as the suspect fled the scene.
According to Houston police, the suspect first carjacked an older couple at gunpoint following the crash, then headed north on I-45. A short time later, he allegedly carjacked a second vehicle.
Witnesses at the scene said the suspect appeared to be firing shots "to get people away" as he searched for cars to steal.
The crime spree ended near downtown Houston, where authorities say the man attempted to carjack a third vehicle. A Precinct 1 constable encountered the suspect during that attempt and was able to arrest him without further incident.
Court documents identified the suspect as 30-year-old Jason Arvin Velasquez. As of Saturday, he is charged with a felony count of intoxicated manslaughter with a vehicle and a felony count of failure to stop and render aid.
Nava said he and his girlfriend are simply relieved to be safe: "I'm trying to get this bumper back on, in a MacGyver way so we can get home," he joked.
ABC13 also spoke off-camera with the husband of the woman who was killed. He said she had just dropped him off at work and was driving home when the crash occurred.