HOUSTON – Houston police are beefing up patrol when it comes to aggressive drivers, speeding and road rage. The department is adding more patrol officers on the roadways.
“Any family that is suffering (because of) family members that were killed in our city, we are not going to rest until we get those individuals in custody,” Chief Troy Finner said in a news conference Wednesday.
It’s part of the “Safe Roadways” Initiative that launched in 2021.
On Wednesday, HPD and Mayor John Whitmire spoke about the arrests made this week.
“We were out there in force on the 59 South freeway yesterday. We had eight agencies that reported their stats while they were out there. In a three-hour period we conducted 125 traffic stops, which equals 222 citations and two arrests. One for narcotics and the other was for outstanding warrants,” police said.
Detectives also arrested Wydell Jones and Oscar Guzman. Both men are behind bars, both facing murder charges. They’re accused of shooting someone on Houston roadways earlier this month.
The most recent shooting happened on the Southwest Freeway near Beechnut. Guzman is accused of killing 19-year-old Otarion Lomax and injuring two others.
Reporter Re’Chelle Turner spoke to Otarion’s parents over the phone. They were in Mississippi planning the funeral. They told Turner they don’t have much confidence in HPD’s Safe Roadways Initiative and feel like officers should have been on the streets years ago.
“It shouldn’t have never taken so many families to lose someone near and dear to heart over and over again. It shouldn’t have taken three years for them to start taking this road rage seriously. It shouldn’t have taken my 19-year-old son who had a bright future for them to take this serious now,” Veronica Williams said.
Trent Williams said his son was in the car with three other people when the shooting happened.
“They were coming from Humble at a Main Event. They were bowling and playing a few video games,” Williams said.
The Williams are glad Guzman is off the streets, but they still feel like Houston roads are not safe and have questions about the initiative.
“It’s been three years, it hasn’t worked yet and now y’all are saying it’s going to work. It’s been three years. Remember the chief said this has been in place since 2021. It’s 2024,” Trent Williams said.
The Williams are hoping for police, city officials and the justice system to hold violent offenders accountable. Guzman is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.
“I don’t think he should see the streets again. He should get life. He shouldn’t get a bond. What you took from us…. You took a lot from a lot of people. He took from my family. He took a piece of the puzzle. I want him to rot in jail,” Trent Williams said.