HOUSTON – A Harris County District court magistrate on Wednesday set a bond at $350,000 for a defendant charged with murder and aggravated assault in a crash that killed three valets in west Houston following a police pursuit.
Ahmedal Tayeb Elnouman Modawi, 17, was arrested and charged with three counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault with serious bodily injury in the 230th State District Court.
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A magistrate in probable cause court Wednesday set bail at $100,000 for each murder count and $50,000 related to the wounding of the passenger who was in the car with Modawi during the police pursuit.
During the probable cause hearing, Modawi was seen using a walker to support himself -- He sustained a leg injury in the crash.
According to court documents read during the probable cause hearing, Modawi is from Sudan and is not a U.S. Citizen. He has resided with his family in Houston for the past five years.
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The crash occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m. Friday in the 5800 block of Fairdale Lane after a Sergeant with the Houston Police Department spotted Modawi, who was driving a white Infiniti G37, doing donuts in a parking lot nearby. When the sergeant activated his sirens in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop, Modawi fled at highways speeds down the residential street.
Modawi then hit three valets, 22-year-old Eric Orduna, 23-year-old Nick Rodriguez and 18-year-old Fnan Measho, before flipping the vehicle and crashing into a fence. Both Modawi and a passenger in the Infiniti G37 sustained inures in the crash. Modawi suffered a broke leg and his passenger, who was ejected from the vehicle during the crash, sustained serious injuries to both legs. They were both transported to an area hospital in stable condition, police said. All three men Modawi struck were declared dread at the scene.
Modawi was himself a valet and had been driving a client’s vehicle during the police pursuit and subsequent crash.
Police determined Modawi was not intoxicated at the time of the crash.
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