HOUSTON — A Harris County Precinct 7 deputy constable died Saturday evening in a fiery crash that was caused by a suspected drunk driver in southwest Houston, authorities said.
It happened sometime after 6 p.m. on Beltway 8 near Fondren Road.
The deputy was positioned on the side of the beltway after receiving reports about a possible drunk driver, according to Captain Anthony McConnell with the HCSO Vehicular Crimes Division.
A witness on the Beltway spotted the vehicle involved and called 911 to report the driver prior to the crash, McConnell said. The deputy constable involved was waiting to intercept the vehicle when the crash happened.
The driver veered and struck the deputy's vehicle and pushed it down the beltway when the vehicle ignited, McConnell said.
The Pct. 7 fallen deputy has been identified as Jennifer Chavis. The driver of the vehicle is 36-year-old Adolfo Serrano, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
"Tonight, we have a hero that died," McConnell said. "Every agency out here has a DWI unit and we're fighting people like this, to get them off the streets."
Chavis, 32, was a member of Precinct 7's Toll Road Division and an Army veteran. She is survived by her husband, a 4-year-old son and an 11-year-old nephew that she and her husband were raising.
Serrano was taken into custody and taken to a hospital, but their injuries were not severe, McConnell said. Investigators were seeking a warrant to test the driver's blood-alcohol level.
McConnell said several witnesses helped detain Serrano and prevented him from leaving.
"I do want to thank them," McConnel said. "But my heart is hurting, and I just ask you that you pray for the family and the friends of this constable."
You can watch the full HCSO update below:
"I send our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the fallen Harris County Pct 7 Deputy Constable, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet. "Our thoughts are with Constable Walker and all members of her agency. Godspeed."
Law enforcement officers from various agencies formed a motorcade to transport the fallen deputy constable's body from the scene to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
This is the second death of a law enforcement officer in Harris County in a week. On Thursday, Harris County sheriff's deputy Darren Almendarez was off-duty when he confronted a group of men who were attempting to steal a catalytic converter from his vehicle outside a north Harris County grocery store when he was shot to death.
The Harris County Precinct 7 Constable's Office, led by Constable May Walker, covers a portion of southwest Harris County and patrols Beltway 8 from Bissonnet to Mykawa Road.