Driver fleeing cops slams into rideshare, killing 2 backseat passengers, Texas cops say
A driver being chased by police slammed into a rideshare vehicle Saturday night, killing two passengers in the backseat, Texas police say.
Police tried to a pull over a white Acura RDX driven by Brian Tatum, 45, after they say he ran a red light in Houston, KTRK reported. Tatum didn’t stop and sped away, leading police on a chase, according to the outlet.
Tatum’s car was going more than 100 mph when it slammed into a rideshare vehicle, per KPRC. The outlet reports that the vehicle was an Uber.
“Caught them on the back end of the vehicle, pretty much severed the back end of the car in half,” Cmdr. Kevin Deese, with the Houston Police Department vehicular crimes division, told KHOU.
Officials said the chase lasted about a minute, according to the outlet. The two women in the backseat were pronounced dead at the scene.
Both the rideshare driver and Tatum were injured, KTRK reported. A passenger in Tatum’s vehicle also suffered minor injuries, according to the outlet.
Tatum was arrested and booked into the Harris County Jail. Tatum faces two murder charges, and his bond was set at $150,000, jail records indicate.
He’s due in court on Tuesday.
