A driver of an 18-wheeler semi-truck crashed into a public safety building in Texas after his commercial driver's license renewal was denied, resulting in one death and injuring 13 others, according to authorities. Texas State Senator Louis Kolkhorst stated in a social media post that the suspect stole the truck and collided with the office in Brenham, about 75 miles west of Houston, in a "heinous and deliberate act." The suspect, Cleonard Parker, 42, had his commercial driver's license denied at the Brenham office.
CNBC reported that a deputy was pursuing the stolen truck when it turned right into the public safety building. Online inmate records showed Parker, from Chapel Hill, was arrested and is being held in Washington County jail, facing multiple charges including evading arrest and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. The Washington County Sheriff's Office indicated that Parker would appear in court on Saturday.
Senator Kolkhorst described the "heinous, deliberate act" as a reminder of the dangerous work performed by law enforcement agencies that provide safety and public services. Aerial footage showed the front of the trailer damaged, covered in debris from the front doors of the office. Kolkhorst noted that no Texas Department of Public Safety employees were seriously injured, although one employee was "trapped for a period of time" in the building.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is one of the largest law enforcement operations in the state, including troopers who are essential to a massive border security operation at the U.S.-Mexico border, along with Texas Rangers, who are the state's top criminal investigators. However, the department also has offices throughout the state that issue driver's licenses.
Brenham Mayor Atwood Kingora praised law enforcement teams for their swift response in preventing the suspect from attacking again. Kingora told reporters, "If not for their quick action, as you can see across the street, the suspect would have been backing into the building intending to enter it again."
