A late night car crash on SH 249 and Brown Road led to confusion and two arrests on Oct. 21.

Tomball police officers and emergency crews were dispatched to the intersection around 11 p.m. Upon arrival they found that a black Chevy Tahoe had been hit by a gray Ford Taurus, after the Taurus allegedly ran the red light.

“(The black Tahoe) was turning north onto SH 249 from Brown Rd,” the Tomball Police Department accident report states. “(The Ford Taurus) was traveling south on SH 249. (The Taurus) ran (the) red light striking (the Tahoe) on the left rear quarter. (The) driver in (the Taurus) possibly fled from scene.”

Emergency workers treated a visibly upset man, Luis Torres, who claimed to be a passenger in the Taurus, who then told officers that the driver had fled on foot. Shortly thereafter, another man emerged from the woods with several cuts and scratches and allegedly told a Tomball police officer that he had been robbed. Officers identified that man, Pedro Galvin Lopez, as the driver Torres claimed had fled on foot.

According to police, Lopez denied that he had been driving the Taurus and fingered Torres as the driver. Both men then underwent field sobriety tests and were taken into custody under suspicion of Public Intoxication. The driver of the Tahoe, Luis Zarate, was cited for not having a valid driver’s license.

Under continued questioning, both suspects continued to point the finger at the other as the driver of the Taurus. This led police to contact the Harris County District Attorney’s office for assistance. An assistant district attorney advised that unless one of the suspects admitted who the driver was or another witness came forward, that the only charges that could be filed were for Public Intoxication.

Both Torres and Lopez were booked into the Tomball jail for Public Intoxication and both were freed on bond, early on Oct. 22.

Police are looking for an unknown witness who told officers they saw who was driving the Taurus. The witness left before police could get their information. Police are asking if anyone has information on the driver of the Taurus to contact them at 281-290-1302.

Photo by Caleb Harris

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