A young man is dead after a lengthy police chase ended in Buffalo Bayou near downtown Houston on Friday morning, according to police.
Houston police said officers spotted a black Kia Sorrento that had been reported stolen out of Fort Worth, Texas, around 2:07 a.m. on Houston’s westside off Westheimer Road.
The officers initiated a traffic stop, but the Kia reportedly didn’t stop, sparking a lengthy pursuit.
The chase came to an end near downtown in the 400 block of Jensen Drive when the vehicle drove through a parking lot and crashed into a guardrail leading down to Buffalo Bayou, according to HPD.
Four men between 19 and 20 years old got out of the Kia and ran toward the bayou. HPD said two of the suspects chose not to get into the water and were arrested.
The other two suspects jumped into the cold bayou. HPD said one immediately started asking for help, advising that he couldn’t swim.
Officials with the Houston Fire Department threw him a rope and were able to pull him to land. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to HPD.