16-year-old driver under investigation, accused of running over 6 Houston area cyclists in Waller
WALLER, Texas - An investigation continues in Waller County after a 16-year-old with a pickup truck ran over six Houston area bicyclists Saturday morning.
"The Waller Police Department is conducting the investigation due to the incident occurring in the city limits," said Waller County Sheriff Troy Guidry. "It is in the best interest for all parties involved that law enforcement conducts a thorough investigation."
RELATED: Pickup truck runs over 6 cyclists in Waller County, 4 people hospitalized
The crash occurred along Old Highway 290, roughly two miles west of downtown Waller.
In total, four of the cyclists had to be hospitalized, including two transported by helicopter for treatment.
"I thought someone was dead," said Chase Ferrell.
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Ferrell had been riding his bike behind the group of cyclists when they were run over. He says they had been training for IRONMAN Texas Saturday morning. Roughly 75 miles into their training ride, Ferrell says a black diesel pickup truck slowed down near him and accelerated to blow smoke in his lane. Moments later, Ferrell claims the pickup truck tried doing the same thing to the other cyclists riding ahead of him.
"The reason [the teen driver] couldn’t stop is because he was accelerating to blow more diesel fuel on these cyclists," said Ferrell. "He ended up hitting three people before his brakes even started."
On Monday, FOX 26 interviewed Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis about the case. According to Mathis, he became aware of the crash around the same time people on social media started contacting him.
"I’m very troubled by what I’ve read," said Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis. "If what I read was true, we’ve got some issues."
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We’re told the 16-year-old driver stayed at the scene and met with police on Saturday. However, the teen was not arrested.
"I don’t have the evidence in front of me at this point to say, why he wasn’t arrested, [or] should he have not been arrested," said Mathis. "I’m waiting for the investigation [report] to get here so we can make those determinations to seek justice."
In 2017, two cyclists were killed in Waller County after a driver ran them over intentionally. The driver, Victor Kevin Tome, was sentenced to life in prison earlier this summer for a capital murder charge and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
"We do take these things seriously in Waller County when it comes to cyclists," said Waller County Judge Trey Duhon. "This incident involved a 16-year-old driver. The case is being investigated by Waller Police Department since this occurred within city limits. Then, the case will be referred to the District Attorney’s office for review. This single incident is not indicative of any "tolerance" in regards to this kind of aggressive driving by Waller County."
The case will be reviewed and presented to a grand jury to determine if the 16-year-old driver will face any criminal charges. A timeline has not been given for the legal process.