A police chase of a stolen vehicle in Houston ended in a deadly crash early on Wednesday, leaving two people dead and two others in custody. The wreck happened on the southbound Highway 6 overpass above the Westpark Tollway, closing lanes and drawing a heavy response from Houston police and Harris County deputies to the scene.
According to authorities, Houston police were chasing a stolen vehicle when it crashed on the overpass. The pursuit brought the stolen car onto the elevated stretch of Highway 6, where it wrecked, bringing the chase to a sudden and violent end in the early-morning hours.
As more details emerged, authorities said two people died in the collision, which involved the fleeing car and an 18-wheeler. Two suspects were taken into custody following the crash, while the fatalities were confirmed as the scene was worked through the morning. Investigators had not immediately spelled out the full circumstances of how each person died.
Aerial footage from the scene showed the extent of the wreck. A news helicopter captured the 18-wheeler overturned on its side, with what appeared to be a spill around it, while the car involved was left with devastating damage. Authorities had not released the identities of those killed, cautioning that the information remained preliminary given how early in the morning the crash occurred.
The crash forced the closure of the southbound lanes in the area, with the scene stretching from the Highway 6 overpass down to the feeder road below. Multiple Houston police officers and Harris County deputies worked the closed-off roadway, and drivers were urged to find alternate routes through the Southwest Harris County area.
Houston police command staff were expected to speak publicly later in the morning to provide more information about what happened. For the moment, the case stood as a police pursuit of a stolen car that ended with two lives lost and two people detained, with investigators still piecing together the details of the fatal wreck.