Sugar Land officer in critical condition after series of crashes on US 59 near Highway 90A

SUGAR LAND, Texas – A Sugar Land police officer remains in critical condition after authorities said he were involved in a chain of crashes that took place on U.S. 59 southbound near Highway 90 Alternate Sunday morning.

In a news conference, SLPD police chief Eric Robins identified the officer as Ruben Munoz. Munoz has been with the department for over a year.

Sugar Land PD were initially called to a single-vehicle crash shortly before 2 a.m. where it was reported that the driver hit some type of debris on the roadway and hit an interior wall.

Officers took the driver to a nearby facility for a sobriety test. It was unknown if they suffered any injuries.

Later, Officer Munoz stayed at the scene to block the HOV lane as a wrecker truck was called to quickly remove the vehicle from the scene. That was when police said a pickup truck struck the patrol vehicle with Munoz inside

Paramedics were later called to assist Officer Munoz as he fell unconscious, according to police.

“We are praying for the officer, we are praying for our entire police officer family. It is a tragedy when something like this happens. It is obvious that there’s some potential substance involved whether it’s alcohol or something else,” Chief Eric Robins said.

Meanwhile, as Officer Munoz was being treated, police said a woman driving a Jeep struck the pickup truck.

Officer Munoz, the driver in the Jeep, and the driver in the pickup truck were all transported to area hospitals. He remains in critical condition and is undergoing surgery, according to Chief Robins.

The woman involved in the crash also remains in critical condition, while the driver in the pickup truck suffered non-life threatening injuries.

As of 1:30 p.m., all lanes of Southwest Freeway are now open.