A wife and mother died Monday morning after an alleged drunk driver ran a red light and t-boned a family’s vehicle at a high rate of speed, according to Mission police Investigator Art Flores.
Flores said the 37-year-old mother died at the scene while her 42-year-old husband remains in critical condition at a local hospital.
Police received a call at 12:46 a.m. in reference to suspicious activity and as an officer drove to the 1000 block of Solar Drive, on Mayberry Road, he saw a gray 2004 GMC Yukon driving at a high rate of speed.
According to Flores, the officer made a u-turn to catch up to the Yukon during which the vehicle “disregarded” a red light resulting in the Yukon crashing into a silver 2015 Ford Explorer.
“That Explorer had a family,” Flores said. “It had a husband and wife and three children.”
Flores said the victim’s children range from 15 to 18 in age.
Their mother and father were both sitting in the backseat, though she was in the back passenger side where the Yukon hit.
Police believe that because the victim’s son was driving they were coming back from a party.
The suspect then fled on foot and hid from police until he was apprehended when they found him walking in the area of Conway Avenue and State Highway 495 a little after 6 a.m. that morning.
He appeared to be intoxicated, Flores said.
The wife was pronounced dead at the scene while the husband was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Their daughter went into surgery for undisclosed injuries while the sons appeared to be OK, Flores said.
In addition, the suspect was admitted into a local hospital as well.
That person is currently charged with intoxicated manslaughter, four counts of intoxicated assault and four counts of leaving the scene of an accident.
Flores said the suspect won’t be arraigned until they are released from the hospital.
He did not identify the suspect or the family members.
