Deputies: Suspect Intentionally Drove into Crowd, Killing One and Injuring Others in Texas

One woman is dead and four others injured after a driver reportedly hit multiple people outside Pinchy’s Tex-Mex restaurant in Katy, Texas, on Thursday, according to deputies.

“Deputies said the incident happened at 1230 N. Mason Road around 1 a.m. According to investigators, seven or eight people were arguing when the driver rammed into the group,” Click2Houston.com reported.

Investigators told reporters the 35-year-old woman died, two individuals were taken to the hospital, and two given medical attention at the scene.

In a social media post, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the alleged driver initially left the scene but returned and was detained:

At about 1 am, at a commercial center parking lot at 1230 N. Mason @ Katy Freeway, a driver struck several individuals. One individual has been confirmed deceased. Two others transported to hospitals & two more treated on scene. The alleged driver initially fled the scene, but pic.twitter.com/YEMmJBr2J9

— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) May 6, 2021

Deputies are trying to determine what caused the incident and the suspect’s relationship with the victims, according to ABC 13.

“Out of nowhere, you just hear a car crash, and we all looked that direction, and we didn’t even see the girl. We saw the guy first,” a witness named Jeff recalled. “We saw him holding his leg. He was on the hood of another car next to him.”
Officials are also working to determine if the suspect was drunk when the incident occurred.

“As the investigation unfolded out here, it became apparent that the person that is driving the vehicle appeared to intentionally run into the individuals in the parking lot,” Homicide Sgt. Jason Brown said during a press briefing:

Homicide Sgt J Brown giving a media update for a death investigation in the 1200 block of Mason https://t.co/I7A4sJ881k woman is deceased, four others suffered various injuries and we’re transported to local hospitals. #hounews pic.twitter.com/GsaVQDjQj0

— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) May 6, 2021

He continued:

As of now, the investigation is in the preliminary stages but we believe that the person did intentionally drive the vehicle at the people that were hit. We don’t know if the people that were ran over were the people that the individual was attempting to hit or not. As of right now we can’t confirm the relationship between the person who was driving the vehicle and the people that were hit. As of right now we have one person that’s what we consider in serious condition in surgery right now at the hospital. We had several people with minor injuries and then one person that is deceased.

Brown described the suspect as a Hispanic male in his 20s.

Deputies are looking at nearby surveillance footage as part of the investigation.

The suspect was taken to the homicide division for questioning and charges have not yet been filed, deputies told ABC 13.