HOUSTON — A man accused of running multiple red lights is dead after crashing his vehicle into a tree during a police chase Saturday morning in the Westchase area.
The crash happened shortly before 2 a.m. in the 3400 block of S. Dairy Ashford Road near the Westpark Tollway.
Police were responding to a disturbance call when they saw a vehicle run a red light at Briar Forest Drive, according to investigators.
"They turned on their sirens and made an attempt to stop," Houston Police Asst. Chief Patricia Cantu said. "The vehicle continued to speed [and] ran three additional lights."
At some point, Cantu said the officers started to lose sight of the suspect's vehicle and slowed down. Investigators said the driver continued to speed off.
Moments later, police reportedly found the vehicle crashed into a tree on S. Dairy Ashford Road.
Houston firefighters responded to the scene and tried to free the driver who Cantu said was trapped inside the vehicle. While trying to pull the suspect out, firefighters declared the driver dead at the scene.
Investigators believe he was the only person inside the vehicle. They're still working to confirm the suspect's identity.
“If an officer tries to make a stop, please stop,” Cantu said. “This fatality, this really shouldn't happen. Please stop. Please avoid trying to hit another person or anything…they were running three consecutive lights, and it could have hurt and injured another person.”