A homeless man and additional witnesses sprung into action to rescue a Houston sheriff’s deputy who was involved in a deadly crash Wednesday night while chasing a robbery suspect at high speeds.
The crash occurred at Laura Koppe and Lockwood and killed an innocent woman and injured two young children, ages two and five, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO). Officials say the five-year-old remains in critical condition while the two-year-old is stable, according to KTRK.
Chilling surveillance footage that captured part of the crash shows the deputy’s vehicle covered in flames barreling through a store parking lot and colliding into parked cars, KTRK reports. A homeless man named Johnny Walker was at the scene and recounted the crash to the outlet.
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“I’m homeless. I was doing some work for someone. I was taking some tools back when I heard ‘boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,'” Walker said. “I ran out here to see what it is and I saw a lot of cars, but I paid attention to the fire. My instincts were to go to that car and help him out, because he was crushed in on both sides.”
“I thought it was going to blow up,” Walker told the outlet. At that point, he sprung into action.
“Nobody was trying to make an effort, so when I went on one side, couldn’t get in. I jumped over the car, two more youngsters came and jumped behind me,” Walker said. “We pulled him. I opened the door and got him out. We picked him up, put him over the car, took him inside the store.”
Once inside the store, the deputy “came to,” Walker said.
“He came to when we were checking his pulse. I kept talking to him, ‘Stay with us. Help is on the way,'” Walker explained.
He asked how he kept a level head in the traumatic situation.
“Because I would want someone to do it for me,” an emotional Walker said. “I’m just disappointed we couldn’t help someone else.”
The deputy was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital, and three other adults were conveyed for evaluation and treatment.
“It is said our deputy is in stable condition and we’re praying he makes a full recovery,” Gonzalez said.
The deputy had been responding to a report of an aggravated robbery at a CVS store in the 10800 block of Eastex Freeway and Tidwell said HCSO Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, per KTRK. The HCSO received a report of the robbery at 10:42 p.m. Officials say once on scene, the deputy saw a man leaving the pharmacy that matched the suspect’s description and the deputy tried to stop him, but the man did not comply.
Gonzalez explained the deputy reported to be chasing a suspect before his radio went silent at 10:52 p.m. Authorities say the suspect led the deputy at speeds of 90-miles-per-hour, according to KHOU.
While chasing the suspect, the deputy got into a collision with a black car on Laura Koppe and Lockwood before crashing into five other vehicles, police say, according to KTRK.
The occupants of the car were the innocent woman who died and the two young children.
“I tried to help that lady. She passed though,” Walker said tearfully.
“I’m just thinking about them little kids,” he told KTRK.
“I just wish I could have done a little more,” he said. “When you have kids and family, even if you don’t, it’s just a critical point in time. It’s not about color, it’s about helping one another.”
Sheriff Gonzalez sent his condolences to the innocent victims.
“I want to extend our condolences to the family of the deceased female, and we’re also praying for the two children injured in this crash,” he said according to KHOU.
The suspect fled the scene, according to the HCSO.
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