Law enforcement personnel work at the scene after a stolen 18-wheeler crashed into a Texas Department of Public Safety office on US-290 in Brenham, Texas on Friday. The driver of a stolen semitrailer intentionally rammed it into the Texas public safety office in a rural town west of Houston on Friday, injuring multiple people, according to a state lawmaker. Meredith Seaver/College Station Eagle via AP
BRENHAM, Texas — A Texas semitrailer driver rammed a stolen 18-wheeler through the front of a public safety building where his renewal for a commercial driver’s license had been rejected, killing one person and injuring 13 others, authorities said Friday.
The intentional crash into the single-story brick building off a highway in Brenham, a rural town outside of Houston, littered debris in the parking lot and left a gaping hole in the entrance. The crash damaged the front of the red semitrailer, which was hauling materials on a flatbed.
After crashing into the building the first time, the driver backed up the truck with the intention of smashing it again before being detained, Brenham Mayor Atwood Kenjura said.
“It’s unfortunate that we are here gathered for a really senseless tragedy,” Kenjura said.
The driver – identified as Clenard Parker, 42 – was pulled out of the truck by authorities at the Texas Department of Public Safety office. Authorities say Parker was taken into custody but did not say which charges he would face.
On Thursday, Parker was told by employees at the office that he would not be eligible to renew his commercial driver’s license, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Justin Ruiz said. He did not elaborate as to why Parker’s renewal was rejected.
One employee in the building was trapped “for a period of time” after the crash but no one who worked at the driver’s license officer suffered serious injuries, Republican state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst said.
Following the crash, two people were flown to a hospital in Bryan and another to Houston. Three people were transported to local hospitals but later released, and eight people others were treated on the scene.
A heavy presence of police surrounded the building and drivers were urged to steer clear of the area on Friday. Brenham, a city of about 19,000 residents, is about 80 miles miles west of Houston.
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