Austin, TX
Police pursuit ends with fatal crash into train in East Austin
Police pursuit ends in deadly wreck with train
A police pursuit ended with a deadly wreck. Police say the driver hit a moving train on E. 7th Street near Northwestern Ave.
AUSTIN, Texas – A police pursuit ended with a deadly wreck involving a train in East Austin Friday morning.
It happened around 2:40 a.m. on E. 7th Street between Webberville and Pedernales and the road was shut down for several hours. As of 10:50 a.m., it has reopened.
The incident started when the Austin Police Department observed suspicious behavior on cameras in the area of Neches and 7th St.
Police say someone was walking around touching car door handles and eventually entered one of the vehicles.
When police told the person to get out of the car, they say it became apparent that the man was intoxicated.
At that point, he turned the car on and led police on a high-speed pursuit driving through barricades and over curbs as he headed eastbound on 7th Street.
The suspect crashed into a moving freight train near 7th and Northwestern Ave.
Austin-Travis County EMS says the driver was pinned in and had to be extricated from the vehicle.
They were taken to Dell Seton with critical injuries where they later died.
Austin police say streets in the area will be closed through rush hour. This impacts 6th Street and 7th Street up to Webberville.
CapMetro says MetroRail services will also be affected.
They will be assisting customers between their Martin Luther King Jr. and Downtown stations.
CapMetro says while this wreck occurred on their tracks, the train is not affiliated with CapMetro.
We will bring you live updates all morning on Good Day Austin:
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.