Late afternoon rush hour can be frustrating on the Southwest Freeway, especially on Fridays.
It was even worse today, when the truck above started pushing traffic out of its way after the driver had earlier run into a building because of an apparent temper tantrum. KPRC-2 reports:
The chase started in Bellaire at 2 p.m., police said. The driver, identified as Hector Barraza, drove his 53-foot trailer to what he thought was his delivery location and then got angry when he found out it was the wrong address, company officials said. Police said he then rammed his truck into the building and drove off.
“It began in Bellaire, inside the 610 Loop. It started out as a hit-and-run and we located the vehicle pretty quickly and he ran into one patrol car in Bellaire and then out (in Sugar Land),” said Cpl. Daniel Kerr, of the Bellaire Police Department.
Barraza then sped down the freeway, weaving in and out of traffic and sometimes driving on the shoulder, officers said.
Several law enforcement agencies joined the chase to try to stop him.
At the University exit in Sugar Land, traffic was stopped on the freeway, so the driver pushed the vehicles in front of him out of the way, according to witnesses. The big rig hit a box truck, minivan, pickup truck and at least one another vehicle. No one was seriously injured.
“Before I knew it, the 18-wheeler was in the middle lane where I was in the right-hand lane and he didn’t stop. He kept going and he jammed the cars into my car. The police officer started shooting at his car with their pistols and their shotguns — at the tires — and I took off,” said Sam Rodriguez, who was caught in the accident.
“We became very concerned he was going to kill somebody. At that time, we started firing rounds at the truck to disable the tires, disable the radiator,” said Sgt. Paul Mosely, of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Department.
Spikes that were put down in the road punctured one of the big rig’s tires, but the driver did not immediately stop. Officers then drew their weapons.
“Sheriff’s deputies threw spikes out. He went off in the grass to avoid the spikes. A couple of sheriff’s deputies got out and fired their shotguns in the radiator to stop him,” said Robert Spears, a witness.
About 30 minutes after the chase began, the driver stopped in the median past the Grand Parkway exit on Highway 59 in Sugar Land.
Radio traffic reports indicate all lanes are now open but traffic is slow. More coverage on this incident can be found at KHOU-11 and KTRK-13.
Remember that you can use TranStar’s alert system to have personalized text updates on Houston traffic conditions sent to your wireless device (phone, PDA, Blackberry, or pager).
