An 18-year-old man who slammed a truck into three vehicles while fleeing police in South Texas will be charged with murder, the Texas Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.
In a statement, the DPS announced Wednesday that an arrest warrant for Hector Ramirez of Roma has been issued by a justice of the peace in Monday's fatal crash near Mission. The DPS statement said Ramirez remained hospitalized with undisclosed injuries but will be arrested and arraigned when released.
Mexican consular officials in South Texas have asked U.S. authorities for a detailed report on the high-speed pursuit this week that ended in the deaths of six members of a family originally from Mexico.
Jose Manuel Gutierrez Minera of the Mexican consulate in McAllen expressed regret for the deaths in an email Wednesday.
A DPS sergeant was chasing a stolen pickup driven by 18-year-old Hector Ramirez of Roma when it ran a red light northwest of Mission, the DPS said. Authorities say Ramirez plowed into three vehicles at an intersection Monday, killing six of seven members of the Ortiz family who were travelling in a Chevrolet Suburban. Four of those killed were children.
The family lived in the South Texas town of Penitas. Gutierrez Minera said the consulate is assisting in the repatriation of the bodies.
Five other people were injured. The DPS says Ramirez tried to run from the scene but was captured.
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