KHOU photojournalist Scott Stevens was rolling when a Houston man drove his car through a crowd of people.
According to the Houston CBS affiliate’s video (above), the driver is the father of a man who was accused of killing and wounding two men earlier in the day. Neighbors blame that shooting on escalating tension in the neighborhood.
“Why would I be in the car and let him do that,” asked passenger Deshonna Smith, who is the fiancée of the driver. “They came out here picking on him. This was self defense.”
AdvertisementThe video shows a bike being hurled at the car moments before it careened toward a sea of people.
Smith claims the victim’s family was taunting her man, and one thing led to another.
“That’s when he got upset. The man threw the bicycle. Another man came and punched him in his face. That’s when you seen the car go up in the median,” said Smith. “The devil has taken over this whole apartment complex. This ain’t nothing but Satan’s playground.”
Smith is seen on the video grabbing the wheel after the driver bailed out of the car.
A Houston Police officer then restrained the driver on the ground.
Smith identifies him as Lewis Bird Sr.
“We’re lucky that nobody got hurt,” said HPD Officer Derrick Fontenot.
The family of murder victim Demarkus Harrison says the entire thing is senseless.
“The night before last, they came two blocks over and shot my house up,” said grandfather Paul Callis.
Investigators wouldn’t speculate on a motive for the shooting. Detectives hadn’t apprehended the murder suspect as of 9 p.m. Wednesday night. He has not been officially identified by authorities.
The man seen on video tossing a bike at the car has not been charged either.
“When will people learn that crime is not going to solve anything,” said neighbor Tarethe Robinson. “You’re just killing yourselves off. It’s crazy.”