Four kids and 2 troopers injured, released from hospitals after dangerous Halloween high-speed chase
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Texas DPS sources Wednesday confirmed the four children and two troopers injured in Tuesday night’s high-speed chase in West Harris County have all been released from local hospitals.
Dashcam video shows a portion of the chase that ended near Merchants Way and Mason Road just East of Katy. Texas DPS troopers used a PIT maneuver to get the driver to stop. Minutes later, a responding trooper crashed their SUV into an 18-wheeler at a nearby intersection.
"I see this flash of red and blue lights [and] I see this Tahoe go under the 18-wheeler," said Frankie Elayyan.
Elayyan, a tow truck driver near the crash, jumped in, and safely pulled the injured trooper out of the crushed cruiser.
"[It’s] just scary," said Elayyan. "You never think you’ll run into a situation like this. Thankfully, all my wreckers and myself, we’re always prepared with first aid kits, and whatever equipment we need to help."
Authorities and witnesses describe a chaotic chase that reached speeds close to 100 miles per hour. At one point, the pursuit went through an apartment complex parking lot. There, the suspect ran over a trooper’s foot to get away.
The chase ended near Merchants Way and Mason Road. An adult woman driver was apprehended, another woman was in the passenger seat, while four young kids were in the back.
"A responsible adult would stop if they have kids in their car," said Richard Standifer from DPS. "Clearly, that didn’t happen today."
Witnesses say some of the children were wearing Halloween costumes and had bags of candy with them. Other tow truck drivers helped the kids before they had to be taken to local hospitals.
"To save herself, she didn’t take into consideration her kids or the other adults lives she was putting in danger," said Tylor Rogers.
So far, DPS has been unable to confirm how and why the chase started, or what the adult woman driver was wanted for.
Last Friday, a separate DPS and Harris County Sheriff’s pursuit ended with a deadly crash. FOX 26 asked DPS about their pursuit policy.
"Most troopers are going to exercise discretion to initiate a pursuit," said Standifer. "On every trooper’s mind is safety first. Each trooper is well aware of the liability that comes with a high-speed pursuit."
A DPS spokesperson says all elements of the chase are under internal investigation, which they say is standard for these situations.