Written by Staff Writer by Caleb T. Anderson, CNN
A pedestrian was killed during a police pursuit of two robbery suspects in Houston, authorities say.
The suspects allegedly stole a car from a woman who had parked it at a gas station on Monday. Moments later, a Houston Police officer attempted to stop the fleeing car, officials said. The officer chased the suspects until the vehicle slammed into a cement wall.
A pedestrian was killed during a police pursuit in Houston on Monday. The car that crashed into the concrete wall turned out to be stolen, according to police. CNN
The pedestrian was identified by police as 37-year-old Jesus Antonio Galindo-Alarcon, who had been visiting from Puerto Rico. Galindo-Alarcon had been stopped by police when he was hit, according to officials.
“This is a tragic incident that happened today when an armed robbery suspect resulted in a loss of life while attempting to flee from law enforcement,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a statement.
The incident marks the second time in less than two weeks that a pedestrian has been killed in a high-speed chase. A South Carolina driver was arrested after he hit and killed a 73-year-old man, who was walking on a sidewalk, when he tried to evade police, local authorities said.
“There’s an element of desperation,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, about these types of pursuits in a letter to the National Transportation Safety Board about a similar incident last year. “The intent of a pursuit is for law enforcement to come in contact with an individual in a serious manner. In contrast, many citizens, even if they are involved in an incident with law enforcement, have the ability to surrender or avoid contact.”