A Progreso police chase for a suspected intoxicated driver turned deadly Saturday evening when the pursuit reached Weslaco city streets and ended in a fiery crash that claimed one person’s life.
Weslaco Police Chief Joel Rivera said Sunday that the crash, a three-vehicle collision that occurred in the vicinity of 18th Street and Farm-to-Market Road 1015, ended with the death of Jaime Elias Garcia, 18.
The chief said the person suspected of being intoxicated and driving has been hospitalized.
“The intoxicated driver, currently at this point, is in the hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries,” Rivera said. “What happened was the Progreso Police Department was engaged in a vehicle pursuit with an intoxicated driver. At that point, the vehicle crash happened. I don’t believe any other units were involved at this point.”
Progreso police informed Weslaco PD that they stopped a female driver on suspicion of driving while intoxicated but she failed to remain stationary during the stop and evaded them.
She drove her Ford Explorer northbound at excessive speeds toward Weslaco where she hit Garcia’s Kia Optima, sending it toward the intersection resulting in it being struck by a Honda Pilot traveling west on 18th Street.
Garcia was pronounced dead at the scene.
The occupants of both the Honda Pilot and Ford Explorer were transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries where the female accused of driving while intoxicated was detained.
Weslaco PD is investigating the crash and criminal charges related to the death of Garcia are forthcoming.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to better reflect the age of the victim in the headline and corrected to show the victim is from Progreso.
