A 15-year-old driver in a stolen truck fleeing Houston police officers crashed into a Galena Park Independent School District bus in east Houston on Tuesday morning, authorities said.
About 11 a.m., Houston police patrol officers were chasing the teen driver in a stolen red pickup truck near the East Freeway and Mercury Road at about 70 mph, Houston police said. The truck ran a red light and hit the school bus, which had two adults on board but no students, according to police.
Police said that, around 9 a.m., the teen took the vehicle from two men who were moving furniture from a home in the 9200 block of Spaulding Street. Police said the men's vehicle was running and the keys were in the ignition.
The family who owns the truck didn't want to go on camera but told KPRC that when they went inside, the teen made a move.
"I am shocked, to be honest," said one family member. "As soon as he could see where we were he burned off with the truck."
The teen jumped in and drove the vehicle around the neighborhood until the police tried to pull over the vehicle, which led to the chase, according to Houston Police Captain Wendy Baimbridge.
"He meandered through the neighborhood a little bit and officers in marked units were able to spot him on I-10 by Mercury and he was going about 70 miles an hour evading police," Baimbridge said.
Witness, Kevin Reece, told KPRC that he saw the truck run through a red light before hitting the school bus.
"I was waiting. I was going to go through the light and I saw the truck coming, and then he hit them and stuff just went everywhere," Reece said.
Galena Park ISD officials confirmed one of its buses from the school district was involved in the wreck and that no students were on board during the crash.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the bus driver and bus attendant were transported to the hospital," a district spokesperson wrote in an email to KPRC.
The teen driver of the stolen vehicle was knocked unconscious in the crash and was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.
Officials from the Houston Police Department, the Jacinto Police Department and the Harris County Constable's Office are investigating at the scene.
Houston police said the suspect could face felony evading and auto theft charges. No charges have been filed at this time.