A high-speed police chase in Texas turned deadly Saturday evening when a fleeing driver crashed into a crowded mall, injuring five people before being fatally shot by law enforcement.
The pursuit began around 5 p.m. near Belton after Texas Highway Patrol troopers responded to a report of a possibly intoxicated driver. When officers attempted to stop the pickup truck, the suspect refused to comply, initiating a 19-mile chase that ended at the Killeen Mall during the height of the holiday shopping season.
The driver veered off the highway, entered the mall parking lot, and crashed through the glass doors of a JCPenney store. Authorities said the truck continued moving hundreds of yards inside the store, hitting multiple shoppers in its path.
Four victims, ranging in age from 6 to 75, were taken to the hospital, while a fifth victim sought treatment independently. Their conditions remain undisclosed.
Law enforcement officers, including two off-duty officers present at the mall with their families, pursued the suspect on foot inside the store. According to Sgt. Bryan Washko of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the officers engaged in gunfire to stop the driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Eyewitness Accounts Describe Chaos
Nathan Carrasco, who witnessed the incident from the mall parking lot, described the horrifying moment the truck smashed through the JCPenney entrance. “There were people lying on the floor, glass everywhere. We saw a woman and a young girl bleeding,” he said. Carrasco and his friends rushed to assist the injured.
Rose and Will Parker, who were near a coffee shop inside the mall, heard multiple gunshots. “I grabbed my wife, and we hid in a back room. It was terrifying,” Will Parker recalled. The couple waited about 15 minutes before a security guard escorted them safely out of the mall.
Investigation Underway
Authorities have not yet identified the suspect or determined his motives. “We need to find out who he was, where he came from, and why he was running,” Sgt. Washko said.
The incident has left the Killeen community shaken, especially during the holiday season. Killeen is located about 70 miles north of Austin and is home to Fort Cavazos, a major U.S. Army installation.
“This is not something we want to see during a time when families are out shopping for loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured,” Washko said.
Law enforcement continues to investigate the circumstances leading up to the chase and the tragic events that unfolded inside the mall.
