Man charged with felony murder in crash that split car in half, killing victim
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man has been arrested and charged with felony murder after trying to run away from the scene of a deadly, violent crash Sunday night in southwest Houston, police say.
The call for help came in around 9:30 p.m. on the Southwest Freeway outbound near Harwin, before the Hillcroft exit.
A driver in a Honda was exiting the freeway when a driver in a Cadillac hit the Honda from behind with so much force, it pushed the car into a pillar, splitting the car in half.
The driver of the Honda was thrown from the car, and then the Cadillac landed on top of him.
The driver of the Cadillac has been identified as 62-year-old Jose Talamantes.
According to witnesses who saw the gruesome crash, Talamantes tried to run away. The witnesses followed him, and police took him into custody.
Detectives are investigating whether the driver of the Cadillac was under the influence at the time of this crash.
"He is currently being transported to the Joint Processing Center to be further evaluated for intoxication. He is already being charged with failure to stop and render aid resulting in death and there may be additional charges filed tonight as well," said Sean Teare with the Harris County District Attorney's Office earlier in the night.
Talamantes has two prior DWIs.
In an unrelated incident, another intoxication-related crash occurred on the south side, where a pedestrian was hit and critically injured on Scott Street. According to police, the driver hit the victim, who was not in a crosswalk, and the person slammed into the windshield and flipped onto the back window and then to the ground.
The victim in the Scott Street crash is expected to survive the injuries but is still listed in critical condition. The driver has been identified as James Anderson.
SEE ALSO: Driver slams into pedestrian near bus stop on Houston's south side
