A mother and son were killed in a crash when a Texas police officer responding to a call T-boned them Thursday, cops said, ABC13 reported.
The incident occurred Thursday in Missouri City, Texas, according to ABC13. The victims have been identified as Angela Stewart, 53, and her 16-year-old son Mason Stewart.
Authorities say an officer was responding to a call about a robbery in progress at an ATM around 8:42 p.m., the outlet noted. During the alleged robbery, an armed man apparently approached the victim, robbing him of $200 before fleeing the scene, police said.
While the responding officer was heading towards the alleged robbery, the Stewarts were apparently driving out of a Dollar Tree parking lot when the officer allegedly struck their vehicle, ABC13 reported, citing the police.
Witnesses at the scene reported hearing a loud noise and seeing the police cruiser smash into the vehicle before catching fire. (RELATED: Dash Cam Footage Shows Police Car Spinning Out Of Control After Violent Crash).
Both Angela and Mason died at the scene, ABC13 reported.
Mother and son killed when Missouri City officer T-boned their car while heading to call: Police https://t.co/LxK1WEei0U
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) June 21, 2024
Mason had recently received his license and was driving at the time of the crash, according to the outlet.
Hours after the crash, authorities said a person was reportedly found in the back of the police car, ABC13 reported, citing authorities. First responders pulled the person from the vehicle.
Police say they haven’t been given an explanation as to why a person was inside the patrol car and why it took hours for them to be discovered, the outlet reported.
It goes against policy for an officer to respond to another call if they already have someone in custody, ABC13 reported, citing the police.
Both the officer and the person in the back of the patrol were hospitalized following the crash, the outlet noted.
The officer involved has been with the Missouri City police for under a year and had two years of prior experience with another agency, officials told ABC.
The crash remains under investigation, and authorities are also investigating whether or not the officer had the cruiser’s sirens and lights on at the time of the crash, ABC13 reported.
The alleged ATM robbery remains under investigation as well, ABC13 noted.
