1 dead, 13 injured after man intentionally crashes stolen semi-truck into Texas DPS office: Officials
One person was killed and more than a dozen injured after a man allegedly intentionally crashed a stolen semi-truck into a Texas Department of Public Safety office in Brenham on Friday, officials said.
A suspect is in custody and faces multiple felonies, authorities said.
"This is a tragic day for us," Texas DPS Regional Director Gerald Brown told reporters during a press briefing Friday.
The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. local time, when the driver of a stolen 18-wheeler rammed into a Texas DPS driver's license office, Brown said. Authorities were pursuing the stolen vehicle when the driver made a "hard right turn" into the office, according to Texas DPS Sgt. Justin Ruiz.
The suspect -- identified by authorities as Clenard Parker, 42 -- had been informed by the office on Thursday that he was not eligible to renew his commercial driver's license, Ruiz said.
The suspect then "returned today with intent to harm," Washington County Judge Mark Keough said in a statement on social media.
Six people were transported to area hospitals, one of whom died from their injuries at the hospital, Ruiz said. Eight victims were treated at the scene and released.
The victims were all inside the building at the time of the crash. It is unclear how many were civilians, authorities said.
Footage from the scene showed extensive damage to the Texas DPS office.
Following the initial crash, the suspect was backing the vehicle up "with the intent of going into it again," Brenham Mayor Atwood Kenjura told reporters.
"Our fire chief mentioned that if he had veered a little bit to the left the second time, there would have been a collapse of that building which would have resulted in a lot more injuries and possible death," Kenjura said.
The suspect was uninjured, Ruiz said. Authorities did not specify what charges he may face.
The Texas Rangers are investigating and there is no further threat to the community, Texas DPS said.
