This archive report was first published on 23 July 2019.
On July 22, 2019, a devastating crash occurred on the Westpark Tollway in Houston, Texas, resulting in the death of a person in custody and injuries to two sheriff's deputies.
A 42-year-old man was being transported to jail for drunken driving when 39-year-old Patrick Mukuria Njogu, driving a Lexus car, slammed head-on into their patrol car.
According to the Harris County District Attorney's Office, Njogu was driving on the wrong way for quite a while along Westpark Tollway before he hit the patrol car, killing the person in custody and injuring the deputies.
Sean Teare, of the Harris County District Attorney's Office, stated, "It wasn’t like a wrong turn… The information we have -- this guy was going for quite a while the wrong-way on the Westpark Tollway before he hit these three people."
The arrested man died while on his way to the hospital, while one of the deputies suffered two broken bones in his foot and the other suffered a concussion.
Njogu suffered a broken foot in the crash, which happened at 11:30pm, and was rushed to Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital along with the sheriff deputies.
Authorities revealed that Njogu's blood alcohol content at the time of the crash was 0.23, nearly three times the legal limit.
Records indicate that Njogu has been arrested at least five times in various states in connection with drunken driving charges, including three DWI convictions in Illinois and Missouri.
The District Attorney's office announced that Njogu will be charged with first-degree felony murder and intoxication assault of a peace officer.
