LEAGUE CITY, Texas – Six people were killed in League City Sunday night when a speeding SUV driver slammed into another vehicle while attempting to flee Dickinson police, authorities said.
According to police, the chase began when an officer tried pulling over a Dodge Durango in Dickinson. The driver, 23-year-old Juan Garcia Ahuezoteco, refused to stop and led police on a high-speed chase.
Less than two minutes later, police said Ahuezoteco ran through a stop sign and crashed into a Honda Accord at the intersection of Ohio Avenue and FM 646 around 8:30 p.m. The Accord was carrying four members of the Guerrero family.
"It was a family of four; a mother, father and child and then another male relative. And they were traveling as any other law-abiding citizen on a public roadway of course not expecting anything like this as they were driving," said Reagan Pena, with the League City Police Department.
Dickinson police say Ahuezoteco never even tapped his brakes as he flew into the intersection and killed a family of four. The accident left two teen boys without a mother and father.
"Then just last week those boys were in my house eathing popcorn. The brother that survived and the brother that's been called home. They were just here. I gave them a ride home," said neighbor Debbie Burek.
Neighbors of the the Guerrero's say they were such a warm and loving family. One of their two surviving sons tweeted out a picture of his family after officers called to tell him about the crash.
"He went home to an empty home," Burek said.
Family and friends gathered at a relative's home, all set about the grim task of planning four funerals while caring for the family's 19- and 16-year-old sons who are now orphans.
"It's not going to be easy for a couple of months, but we're going to get through it," said cousin of the victims, Miguel Ortega.
Dickinson police say 41-year-old Rafael Guerrero, his wife, 38-year-old Alejandra, their 15-year-old son and an uncle, 25-year-old Gilberto Ortega, all died when a Dodge Durango broadsided their Honda Accord at the intersection of FM 646 and Ohio in League City.
The crash happened in League City, but began in neighboring Dickinson. Police say they tried to stop Ahuezoteco, but he took off. He slammed into the family of four, while trying to get away from police.
"This is the type of accident you don't hope to see and don't see often in law enforcement," said League City Police Officer Reagan Pena.
Ahuezoteco and his passenger, cousin Alejandro Molina, also died. Until recently both lived at a League City apartment complex where word of the crash spread quickly.
"I didn't know what happened until the neighbors told me this morning and when they told me it was a green Durango truck, I knew definitely it was him," said friend Jesus Rodriguez.
He said the pair was from Guerrero, Mexico, and worked for a landscaping company. Rodriguez says he became close with Molina.
"He was a good friend. He was a good guy, never caused trouble," he said.
Police said Ahuezoteco had an outstanding felony warrant for driving while intoxicated. Court records show his bond had been revoked on a pending DWI charge.
League City police say after the crash Ahuezoteco was identified by his Mexico ID card and by a family member.
Police say at this time there were no obvious signs he had been drinking when he fled from police.
Power crews were called to the scene to repair several downed power lines. Officials said close to 100 households lost power when the lines were damaged in the crash.