HOUSTON – A suspect and an innocent driver are dead after a police chase ended in a fiery crash in northwest Houston.
The incident happened around 4 a.m. Friday near the Beltway and Clay Road, according to authorities.
Harris County Pct. 5 deputies said the suspect was driving along Westheimer in a Chevy Camaro with no lights and traveling close to 100 mph when a deputy tried to pull him over. Deputies said the driver lead them on a four-minute chase down the Beltway. Authorities said they tried to catch up to the car, but the driver refused to stop.
At some point during the chase, the driver exited the toll road at Clay Road and crashed into a Ford Ranger traveling westbound, causing the pickup truck to catch on fire, deputies said. The Camaro flipped onto its top and the male driver was ejected.
Both drivers were killed in the crash, according to deputies.
“My heart goes out to the family of that victim, especially on a holiday weekend like this,” said Asst. Chief Terry Allbritton, with Harris County Constable’s Office Pct. 5. “I don’t know if he was on his way to work.”
The identities of the deceased have not been released.
Traffic in the area was diverted for nearly seven hours as investigators and crews worked to learn more about the incident and clear the scene.