Military-Style Semi Slams Multiple Vehicles in Houston; 27-Mile Pursuit Ends in Tear Gas Arrest
HOUSTON, TX – The driver of a military-style semi-trailer truck involved in a series of crashes across north Harris County Sunday night has been booked into the Harris County Jail following a lengthy pursuit and standoff with law enforcement.
Omar Antonio Moreno, 53, faces three felony counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer and one count of evading arrest. He was taken into custody around 1:20 a.m. Monday after deputies used tear gas to end a standoff on the Eastex Freeway near Little York Road. No serious injuries were reported.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Moreno does not own the semi-trailer truck. Detectives are still investigating whether the vehicle was stolen and whether additional charges will be filed.
The incident began shortly before 9:50 p.m. Sunday when an off-duty Harris County Precinct 4 constable’s deputy was at a gas station along the Eastex Freeway near Aldine Bender Road. Another driver approached the deputy and reported that a semi-truck had crashed into his vehicle. A sheriff’s deputy responded, but the truck’s driver refused to stop, prompting a low-speed pursuit along the northbound lanes of the freeway.
Deputies deployed road spikes in an attempt to disable the truck, and multiple law enforcement agencies joined the pursuit, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office, and the Houston Police Department.
Authorities said the pursuit lasted approximately 65 minutes, covered about 27 miles, and reached speeds of up to 40 miles per hour before the truck finally came to a stop on the Eastex Freeway near Little York.
When Moreno refused to exit the vehicle, sheriff’s office SWAT deputies were called to the scene. Tear gas was eventually deployed into the truck, and Moreno surrendered without further incident.
Investigators released a preliminary list of locations where the truck struck multiple vehicles during the incident, beginning earlier in the evening:
- One vehicle at Hermann Road and Suburban Road at about 8:35 p.m.
- One vehicle at Winfield Road and Hirsch Road at 9:34 p.m.
- One vehicle at Aldine Mail Route Road and the Eastex Freeway at 9:37 p.m.
- One vehicle in the 11900 block of Mandy at 9:46 p.m.
- Two vehicles at Old North Belt Drive and the North Sam Houston Parkway at 9:49 p.m.
- Two vehicles at the North Sam Houston Parkway and Mesa Road at 9:57 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue working to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident and Moreno’s access to the vehicle.
