Witnesses chase after accused drunk hit-and-run driver

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Natalie Hernandez was at her friend’s house on Myrtle Street in southeast Houston when they heard a loud bang.

They ran outside and saw a truck hit two of their cars. The driver and his passenger begged them not to call the police, according to Hernandez.

“He was telling us, ‘Don’t call the cops. My insurance will cover everything. Don’t worry about it,'” Hernandez said.

They called the police anyway, which is when the driver ditched his truck and ran off.

“He was very intoxicated,” Miriam Cabanas said. “When he was talking to us, you could smell the alcohol. It was apparent.”

According to the District Attorney’s Office, in all of Harris County, there have been more than 11,603 DWI charges this year. Statistics since 2016 show similar numbers over the past seven years in Harris County.

Four hundred and sixty cases in 2022 were drivers under 21 years old. There have been 41 intoxicated manslaughter charges.

According to the DA’s office, it typically takes 9 to 18 months for a misdemeanor DWI case to go through the court system.

That’s why Hernandez and her friends want the driver who hit their cars off the streets as soon as possible before it is too late.

“He is going to keep doing the same thing – driving intoxicated, and hurting someone else or hurting someone else’s property,” Hernandez said.

While no charges have been filed yet, the truck was towed from the scene within an hour, and the incident is still under investigation, according to Harris County Precinct 6 Constable’s Office.