Two women are dead after being hit by a car while fighting in the middle of a Houston street early Wednesday morning, authorities say.
According to the Houston Police Department, the deadly incident happened around 3:30 a.m. on October 22 in the 8900 block of Cullen Boulevard, right in front of Cullen Food Mart in Houston’s Sunnyside neighborhood.
Investigators say the two women — one believed to be in her 30s and the other in her 50s — got into a fight in a nearby parking lot that eventually spilled into the southbound lanes of the busy street.
“They were rolling around on the ground,” Sgt. David Rose with HPD’s Vehicular Crimes Division said in a press briefing. “Some people saw them, pulled over, tried to call the police, but unfortunately, there was a red sedan driving potentially the speed limit in lane one that ran them both over and caused fatal injuries.”
The fight lasted just 37 seconds before the crash occurred, police said.
Surveillance footage from a convenience store across the street captured the entire altercation and the moment the women were struck. The video shows the women fighting near the curb before moving into the road, where a red sedan hits them and continues driving without stopping.
“That sedan proceeded to continue down the street without stopping and rendering aid,” Rose said.
Both women were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names have not yet been released, pending identification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Police said the women were known to each other and had reportedly been involved in previous disputes.
Investigators say they have obtained surveillance footage of the vehicle — a red sedan traveling southbound — but the video quality has made it difficult to identify the exact make, model or license plate.
Authorities believe the car may have sustained damage to its front end.
“As of this time, we do have some surveillance of that vehicle,” Rose said, “but we are going to be looking for more evidence and trying to find that vehicle and that person because it is a crime to leave the scene of a crash where people are seriously injured or dead.”
Leaving the scene of a fatal crash is a felony offense in Texas.
Andy Kahn with Crime Stoppers of Houston explained that while accidents happen, fleeing turns it into a criminal act: “When you strike someone, as long as you remain at the scene at that time, it’s not considered to be a crime. It is a crime when you flee the scene.”
Sgt. Rose called the incident heartbreaking.
“Life is more precious than this,” he said. “It’s sad. These people have families that care about them, they have people that will miss them, and they’re gone.”
The Houston Police Department is asking anyone with information about the crash, the driver, or the red sedan to contact investigators.
- HPD Hit-and-Run Unit: 713-247-4072
- Crime Stoppers (anonymous): 713-222-TIPS (8477) or online at crime-stoppers.org
The investigation remains ongoing.
