Street racing leads to teenage motorcyclist’s death after teen driving stolen vehicle runs read light

HOUSTON - A teenage motorcyclist is dead after being hit by a teenage driver of a stolen car during a police chase early Monday morning. The deadly accident happened around 2 a.m. at the intersection of Farm-to-Market 1960 and Interstate 45 on Houston's North Side. Houston Police said they saw two cars racing along the interstate at an extremely high speed.

When the officer tried to pull the driver over, the 16-year-old suspect refused to stop, driving at speeds over 100 mph. The driver exited the highway at a high rate of speed. The teen didn't slow down when he came up to the intersection and ran through a red light, crashing into the 19-year-old motorcyclist.

The teenager continued driving for about a mile before he ditched the vehicle, which was severely damaged after the crash. They ran into a parking lot in an attempt to escape, but was eventually taken into custody. The officers that initiate the chased pulled over and immediately began life-saving measures on the motorcyclist, but unfortunately he was pronounced dead at the scene.

"We have a (motorcyclist) who won't go home to his family because a suspect in a stolen vehicle refused to stop and ran from the police and ended up killing him at that intersection," said Houston Police executive assistant chief Larry Satterwhite. "We do need stronger laws when it comes to fleeing from the police. We need our legislature and our elected officials to revisit it this and raise the penalties for this. It is no different than firing a gun into a crowd."

The teenage driver was taken to the hospital after suffering injuries during the crash.

Investigators say the vehicle the teenager was driving was confirmed stolen.

The investigation is ongoing.