A 17-year-old Houston teenager, identified as Luiz Alfredo Mencias-Escobar, is accused of smuggling migrants, leading police on a chase, and causing a fatal crash in South Texas. The incident resulted in the death of eight people, including an innocent couple. Mencias-Escobar had a previous encounter with the law and was released into his mother’s custody before the deadly crash. A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist the Lerma family with funeral expenses. ABC13 Houston reported
A teenager from Houston, Texas is accused of smuggling migrants and causing a fatal crash while fleeing from police on a South Texas highway. The driver, 17-year-old Luiz Alfredo Mencias-Escobar, was initially reported to be 21 years old. The incident occurred near Batesville, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals, including an innocent couple in their late 60s from Georgia. Mencias-Escobar was driving a 2009 Honda Civic and attempted to pass a semi-truck on a two-way road, leading to a head-on collision with a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox. Both vehicles caught fire, resulting in the death of everyone involved. Authorities confirmed that Mencias-Escobar had a prior encounter with law enforcement in April, where he was pulled over for a traffic violation while driving without a license and with an underage, undocumented passenger. The passenger was handed over to the Uvalde Border Patrol, and Mencias-Escobar was returned to his mother in Houston. The teenager had previously been in federal custody but was released to his mother seven months before the fatal crash. The Lerma family, who lost their loved ones in the crash, has set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses..
A tragic incident occurred on a highway in South Texas last week, involving a Houston teenager who was allegedly involved in smuggling several migrants. The teenager, identified as 17-year-old Luiz Alfredo Mencias-Escobar, led police on a chase and ultimately crashed into an oncoming vehicle, resulting in his own death. The initial report by the Associated Press mistakenly stated that the driver was 21 years old, but Texas authorities later corrected the information. The devastating wreck, which took place near Batesville, claimed the lives of eight individuals, including an innocent couple in their late 60s from Georgia. Mencias-Escobar was driving a 2009 Honda Civic and attempted to outrun deputies from the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office when the collision occurred. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Mencias-Escobar tried to overtake a semi-truck on a two-way road, leading to a head-on collision with a 2015 Chevrolet Equinox that subsequently caught fire. Everyone involved in the crash, including Mencias-Escobar and his five passengers, lost their lives. Some of the passengers were identified as being from Honduras. It was revealed that Mencias-Escobar had a previous encounter with the law. On April 17, he was pulled over by the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office for a traffic violation while driving without a driver’s license, and his underage, undocumented passenger was turned over to the Uvalde Border Patrol. Mencias-Escobar was later released to his mother in Houston. The teenager had been in federal custody and was returned to his mother seven months prior to the fatal crash. Records indicate that Mencias-Escobar, originally from Honduras, entered Eagle Pass in April 2019 and was ordered for removal by a judge. The Lerma family, who lost their loved ones in the crash, has set up a GoFundMe page to assist with funeral arrangements. This heartbreaking incident serves as a reminder of the dangers associated with human smuggling and the devastating consequences it can have on innocent lives..