Woman Dies After Carjacker Drags Her Along Street, Houston Police Say

A woman sitting inside a parked car died after a man allegedly dragged her along the road during a carjacking attempt in Houston.

Officers with the Houston Police Department arrived at the 600 block of Uvalde Road in Harris County after receiving reports of a robbery incident Tuesday afternoon. They said the suspect, who was not identified, first went into an auto parts store and stole some items, including a cell phone, reported KHOU.

Though the employees at the store tried to stop him, he ran across the street and got inside a car parked near a church. The victim, Jessica Garza, was in the passenger seat.

He tried pushing Garza out of the SUV, but she was was still restrained by a seat belt and couldn't exit properly.

He drove four to five blocks, all the while dragging Garza who was trying to get out of the vehicle. The suspect hit six to seven other vehicles before he finally stopped the car. The woman died in the collision.

"He struck numerous cars and objects and the vehicle came to rest, at which time he exited the vehicle and ran," HPD Captain Belinda Null told CBS-affiliated TV station KHOU. "Unfortunately, she was deceased due to the accident and the fact that she was unable to get herself out of the vehicle due to the seat belt."

He then got off the vehicle and fled on foot. He was later arrested from a Ralston Liquors store when he tried to take the employees hostage.

"I was like, 'Sir let us out. Let us out.' He was like 'No. Call the police. Call the police,'" an employee Dashaundra Johnson told ABC 13. "I tried to get past him, but he wouldn't move. So, I started hitting him with a stick. He started pulling on my arm trying to pull me back in."

However, people who witnessed the incident helped the employees escape.

Officers said the suspect is connected to several robberies reported in the area earlier in the day.

A similar incident was reported from the same street last week when a 71-year-old woman was killed during a robbery attempt. The suspect snatched her purse before hitting her with his car and speeding away. The victim, Martha Medina, was taken to a hospital but she was pronounced dead by doctors.