HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A teen driver faces criminal charges after one of his passengers was killed and two others were injured in a crash early Sunday in northwest Harris County, deputies said.
17-year-old Charbel Boueri was charged with felony murder and two counts of intoxication assault in connection with the fatal crash, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
Harris County deputies were called about 2:42 a.m. to the 20300 block Champion Forest Drive and Grand Parkway, where a car had crashed into a retaining wall.
One of the passengers, Christopher Lujan, 18, was pronounced dead by first responders.
Two other surviving passengers, both believed to be 14 years old, suffered injuries in the crash and remain hospitalized in critical condition, HCSO said.
Boueri and the two 14-year-old passengers were not wearing seatbelts when the crash occurred, according to deputies.
Deputies said the driver failed to stay in a single lane while turning onto the feeder road and lost control of the vehicle, which struck a signpost before colliding with the embankment wall.
The driver showed signs of intoxication at the scene and investigators later confirmed that the driver was intoxicated when the car crashed.