Passenger in hijacked METRO van had frightening ride

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The disabled passenger who was on board a METRO lift van when it was hijacked in downtown Houston is out of the hospital.

Hector Arajuo, 65, was taken to St Joseph's Hospital in the Heights as a precaution. He's a diabetic and has heart problems.

He was the only passenger in the back of the van when a man yanked the female driver out near downtown and took off.

"He said you shut up. You don't know nothing. I'll punch you and put you to sleep. I said okay. I can't move anyway in my wheelchair," said Araujo. "In that moment I'm thinking he's going to kill me, kidnap me, do something to me."

The suspect led Houston and Metro police on a nearly 30-minute long chase before crashing into a fire hydrant near 300 Heights Blvd.

Arajuo described a wild ride of twists and turns ant at one point, he said, the suspect swerved out of the way of a train.

He was checked out at the hospital and released.

The suspect was arrested and faces aggravated robbery and evading police charges. His name has not been released.