Uber driver killed when police crash into car while chasing teen suspect, TX cops say

An Uber driver is dead after a deputy slammed into the rideshare driver’s car while chasing a 17-year-old who wouldn’t pull over early Sunday, Texas police say.

Around 1:45 a.m., police in Houston tried to pull over a 17-year-old driver on an area freeway, but the teen wouldn’t stop, KTRK reported.

Police said the teen then began driving erratically, reaching speeds of almost 90 mph, according to the outlet.

At one point, the teen made a sudden U-turn, cutting off an Uber driver that had stopped to avoid the teen, but the deputy in pursuit couldn’t stop in time and slammed into the back of the Uber driver’s car, KABB reported.

The Uber driver died at a hospital, according to the outlet. The driver was also transporting a passenger at the time of the crash. The passenger was hospitalized with minor injuries, KABB reported.

After the chase, the teen ran across the freeway and was caught by a security guard in the Texas Children’s Hospital parking lot, according to KHOU.

Officials said the teen was out of jail on bond at the time of the chase, the outlet reported. They believe alcohol may have been a factor in the incident.

Police said they’re trying to determine how the teen got access to alcohol and if a bar or restaurant served him, according to KHOU.

“We have way, way too many pursuits that end tragically, and the easy way, the only way to stop that is to stop,” Sean Teare, chief of the district attorney’s vehicular division, said, KTRK reported. “When law enforcement turns on their lights, asks you to stop, it’s a command: stop.”

Teare said the teen could face a felony murder charge, which could carry a sentence of life in prison, KHOU reported.