HOUSTON (AP) - A 17-year-old has been charged with murder after being accused of striking and killing three parking valets as he attempted to flee from Houston police, authorities said Monday.
Ahmedal Tayeb Elnouman Modawi is facing three counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault for the deadly Friday night crash.
Authorities allege a patrol sergeant saw Modawi doing doughnuts, or driving in circles, while in a white Infiniti G37 and leaving tire tracks on the pavement in a parking lot. The vehicle sped away before the officer could stop Modawi, according to police.
Modawi drove away, speeding down a residential street to avoid the officer when he allegedly hit the three valets who worked for a nearby bar and grill.
After hitting the three individuals, the vehicle flipped and crashed, hitting a pole and ending up in a ditch.
The valets had been coming back from parking cars and going to get more of them when the vehicle hit them, said Sean Teare, chief of vehicular crimes with the Harris County district attorney’s office.
The three valets who were killed were identified by authorities as Fnan Measho, 18; Eric Orduna, 22; and Nick Rodriguez, 23.
Modawi and a passenger in the vehicle he drove each broke a leg and were taken to a hospital. Police say Modawi remained hospitalized on Monday.
Investigators determined that Modawi was not intoxicated at the time of the crash.
Court records did not list an attorney for Modawi who could speak on his behalf.
