An employee from Sugar Land was fatally struck after being hit by suspects being chased on Highway 90A, according to officials

A Sugar Land Public Works Department employee, identified as 56-year-old Joseph Aponte Sr., was tragically killed after being struck by burglary suspects fleeing from police during a chase that originated in Missouri City on Wednesday morning.

Aponte, who had worked for the City of Sugar Land for approximately a year, was driving a Public Works truck when he entered the intersection of Highway 90A and Gillingham Lane. At that moment, the suspects’ black SUV ran a red light, resulting in the fatal collision.

Video footage obtained by captured thesuspects leaving the scene of the burglary in Missouri City just 15 minutes before the crash. The footage showed two vehicles involved: the black SUV and a Toyota Camry.

After responding to the burglary call, Missouri City police attempted a traffic stop on the black SUV, which then led to a high-speed pursuit. The pursuit continued into Sugar Land, where the tragic collision occurred.

Sugar Land Police Chief Mark Poland expressed condolences to Aponte’s family and colleagues, acknowledging the profound impact of the incident. Flags were lowered to half-staff at the Public Works building in honor of Aponte.

Emergency crews extricated the suspects from the vehicle, and all were transported to the hospital before being taken into custody. Chief Poland stated that murder charges would be pursued against the suspects.

Missouri City police located the second vehicle in Houston and made an arrest, but details regarding chase policies and procedures were not provided in response to inquiries.