Stolen car driver causes fiery rollover crash involving an HPD detective in Midtown, HPD says
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- SkyEye footage showed a vehicle upright and on fire following a major crash near Travis Street and Holman Street in Midtown on Thursday afternoon.
Images showed that a building sustained damage near the second floor and that the vehicle was upside down, suggesting it hit the structure before being left upright.
SkyEye was overhead as firefighters worked to put out the fire.
The Houston Police Department confirmed that one of its detectives was involved in the crash.
In a press conference, Lt. Larry Crowson said two officers noticed a pickup truck in the area of Holman and Main Streets and recognized it as reported stolen. He added that the officers attempted to stop the truck, and in the process, the driver accelerated and ran two red lights on Travis Street.
According to Crowson, the stolen truck driver then hit a vehicle carrying an SVU detective at a high rate of speed, leading the truck to be thrown against the building and catch fire.
The suspect was able to climb out of the truck's back window and was taken into custody before being rushed to the hospital, Crowson said, adding that he might face felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, evading, and theft.
The detective who was hit was also rushed to the hospital, but she is expected to be okay.
