Suspect in fatal road rage shooting along Southwest Freeway arrested on heels of HPD crackdown

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- An arrest was made in a reported road rage shooting that killed a man and wounded two young women, according to authorities.

Police said Oscar Vazquez Guzman fired into a car on the Southwest Freeway near Hillcroft on Friday.

As a result, Otarion Lomax died the next day. On Tuesday, his mother, Veronica Williams, shared a picture of the 19-year-old with ABC13.

News of the arrest in this case comes as law enforcement across southeast Texas join forces for an aggressive driving crackdown that started on the Southwest Freeway Tuesday night.

Williams said Lomax was a recent graduate of Westbury High School. His future was bright. As a matter of fact, she said he was set to start training to be a crane operator next week.

Now, Lomax will never be able to fulfill that potential because his life was cut short.

Houston police say Lomax and two friends left Main Event Entertainment in Humble to get some food Friday. On that drive, investigators said Guzman was riding closely behind Lomax, nearly on his bumper.

Then, he pulled up next to the car. They said both parties rolled down their windows, a few words were exchanged, and then Guzman fired shots into the car.

Lomax and two women in his car were shot.

"Every one of us drives on the streets every day. And it's our job to make them safe," Commander Mark Holloway with Houston police said.

On the heels of Lomax's death, HPD announced a revamped initiative aimed at targeting aggressive drivers. They will be partnering with DPS, METRO, Harris County Sheriff's Office, Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, and Precinct 4 and 5 constables offices.

Chief Troy Finner said they will start on the Southwest Freeway, although he did not say exactly where they would target on a daily basis.

"We're (going to) be out here all the time. You're going to be seeing police cars you don't normally see in the areas you drive, pulling you over on traffic, so don't be alarmed by that. They're supposed to be there," Holloway said.

This initiative is not new and was actually put in place in 2021. The new element is involving additional agencies, Finner said.

"Everybody's driven on our highways, and they understand there needs to be more enforcement. This is not a thing where we're trying to generate revenue. We're trying to promote and enforce more safety in our city," Finner said.

According to data you'll only see on ABC13, road rage shootings have skyrocketed over the past few years.

Data gathered showed that from 2016 to 2023, there was a 135% increase in incidents reported. About 153 incidents were reported in 2016, compared to the 359 in 2023.

HPD said they will tell us how many arrests they made as part of enforcement on Wednesday.

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