Man hit by employee's car in SW Houston Burger King drive-thru dies: HPD
HOUSTON - A 26-year-old man died after he was struck by an employee’s vehicle in the drive-thru of a Burger King in southwest Houston, police say.
Investigators are still working to determine what led up to the crash and the man's death.
The incident occurred around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday outside the restaurant in the 8100 block of the W Sam Houston Parkway S near Beechnut Street.
According to police, a homeless couple walked up to the drive-thru and tried to order food, but they were told walk-up orders were not allowed in the drive-thru.
Authorities say the man then asked for scissors, and the employee gave him a knife. At some point, police say, the man got upset, began arguing with the employee, and then stabbed the drive-thru plexiglass several times.
After he stopped stabbing the plexiglass, the couple began collecting change from the drive-thru area, police say.
A short time later, the same employee from the earlier disturbance said he was going on break and got into his vehicle, police say.
FOLLOW THE LATEST HOUSTON NEWS
"It is plausible that that is the case and that he may not have known that they were still in the drive-thru," said Sgt. David Rose with HPD’s Vehicular Crimes Division.
Police say the employee drove around the building and then struck the man.
"We have video of this incident. It does not appear to be an intentional act at this time, so we're investigating it as a crash. But there's a lot of questions that we have and that we're trying to get to the bottom of," Sgt. Rose said.
Authorities say the preliminary investigation indicated that the man may have run in front of the vehicle as it passed.
The man who was struck by the vehicle died at the hospital. Police say he suffered little to no trauma on his body, and it is believed that he may have suffered a medical issue that contributed to his death.
The 20-year-old employee was questioned by police and released. No charges have been filed at this time. The investigation is still ongoing.
Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Vehicular Crimes Division at 713-247-4072.