The Mission Police Department has released more details about what led to a major car crash that claimed the lives of two Mission residents Saturday.
According to a news release from the Mission Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol agents requested assistance from the department and the Texas Department of Public Safety at 11:37 a.m. Saturday as they pursued a gray 2009 Ford Escape that had failed to yield to one of their units.
“The suspect vehicle disregarded the red traffic signal at Conway and U.S. Interstate 2 Frontage Road,” the release read. “Mission Police Officers attempted to bring the vehicle to a stop by activating their emergency equipment, however, the defendant refused to bring his vehicle to a stop.”
Mission police discontinued their pursuit of the vehicle near the area of the 300 block of Citriana Street, approximately two city blocks from Interstate 2, but Border Patrol continued their pursuit.
As the Ford Escape continued north on Conway Avenue, DPS Troopers took the lead in pursuing the vehicle.
“The suspect vehicle continued northbound on Conway Avenue and upon reaching 2 Mile line road, the operator of the suspect vehicle, Esteban Cantu Jr., an 18-year-old Mission resident then turned left and proceeded westbound on the Two Mile line,” the release continued. “Upon reaching the intersection of West 2 Mile Line and Holland Road, the suspect vehicle proceeded to enter the intersection failing to yield the right away to a brown in color 2014 Honda passenger car traveling northbound on Holland road driven by 59 year Mission resident Carmen Huerta Sosa and accompanied by her daughter, 22-year-old Viridiana Charon Lloyd, also a Mission resident.”
Cantu’s failure to yield resulted in a collision with the 2014 Honda, killing both Sosa and her daughter.
According to the release, Cantu was transporting six undocumented immigrants in his vehicle at the time of the crash, all of who were transported to local hospitals.
Cantu was arraigned before Mission Municipal Court Judge Johnathon Wehrmeister. He was charged with two counts of murder, a first-degree felony. His bond was set at $1 million for each count, for a total of $2 million.
