SUGAR LAND, Texas — The chase suspect involved in the crash that killed a City of Sugar Land employee last week has been charged with murder, according to the Sugar Land Police Department.
They said Overeth Riascos Barahona, 40, was driving the Toyota Highlander when he ran a red light and hit and killed Joseph Aponte, 56, on Feb. 7. The victim, a public works employee, was driving a city vehicle when he was killed on U.S. Highway 90A at Gillingham Lane.
Editor's note: The above video originally aired on the day of the crash
Barahona was released from the hospital Saturday and arrested on the murder charge. He has a lengthy criminal history, according to SLPD.
Investigators said Barahona and two passengers were involved in a burglary in Missouri City and that's why MCPD officers were chasing them. SLPD said they found stolen property inside the Highlander after the crash.
The passengers, whose names haven't been released, are charged with burglary.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a detainer on Barahona, a native of Colombia.
Crash victim honored by City of Sugar Land
The city posted on its Facebook Friday that a black bar with Joseph Aponte's name would be placed on Public Works vehicles to "commemorate his loss and honor his legacy."
"While the City of Sugar Land is mourning the loss of one of their own, our Public Works team is taking the time to honor our lost teammate, Joseph "Joe" Aponte. Yesterday, crews installed a black bar bearing Aponte's name on all Public Works vehicles to commemorate his loss and honor his legacy," the post said.
Aponte, from Needville, had been a first responder in the city's Public Works Department for about a year, Mayor Joe Zimmerman in a statement on Thursday.
"He leaves behind a wife, daughter, son-in-law and several other family friends," the mayor said.
"Our hearts are broken," the mayor said Thursday. "Yesterday we lost a valued member of our team in a senseless line-of-duty death."
The city will help the family cover funeral expenses, along with helping with food, counseling and other benefits, according to Zimmerman. If you'd like to help Aponte's family, the city has set up a donation website.
Funeral services for Aponte are scheduled for Feb. 13 at Triska Funeral Home, 612 Merchant Street.
Visitation will begin at 1 p.m., and funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. A reception will follow at the New Taiton Community Center, 14221 FM 961 Road.
"Like the rest of our employees, Joe was a dedicated public servant who made a difference every single day for our community," the mayor said. "He will not be forgotten!"
You can read the full statement below:
"Our hearts are broken. Yesterday we lost a valued member of our team in a senseless line-of-duty death. Joseph Aponte, a first-responder in the fleet division at Public Works, was struck and killed by criminals fleeing from Missouri City police at a high rate of speed. It was the worst day imaginable for all of us. Words can’t describe the tremendous amount of pain and grief we are experiencing. Our Critical Incident Stress Management team has been deployed throughout our city to help our employees work through the trauma we are experiencing. Our Public Works team will be at limited service levels this week while we process through our grief. This unprecedented tragedy has deeply affected our entire organization, but we are rallying together to provide for the needs of his family. He leaves behind a wife, daughter, son-in-law and several other family and friends. We are committed to ensuring that they have the resources necessary in their time of need. This includes food, funeral expenses, counseling, benefits and more. We are utilizing our non-profit employee assistance program to help in any way we can. Members of our community have already asked how they can help Joe’s family, so we have provided the following resource for anyone who would like to provide financial assistance – www.sugarlandc3.org. Like the rest of our employees, Joe was a dedicated public servant who made a difference every single day for our community. He will not be forgotten!"