A teenaged driver and their passengers were throwing eggs at passing cars as a seemingly harmless prank — until it turned deadly. According to CNN, the 14-year-old driver in Houston, Texas ran a red light and hit a pickup truck, resulting in the death of the truck’s driver, 45-year-old Silvia Zavala.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said that Zavala “was totally innocent; seems she had just gone shopping based on some debris strewn at scene.” WGN-TV reported that one of the cars hit by the eggs flashed a gun at the teens and started to pursue them, which caused the teens to run the red light.
Update on Aldine Mail Rt. Fatality: the 14 yo driver has been charged w murder & booked in the county juvenile detention center. He sustained a broken ankle in the crash. The driver of the vehicle that was chasing him has been identified & efforts are being made to interview him.
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) January 2, 2019
“[Zavala] was a single mother, and she always taught me to stay strong and stay positive,” her daughter, Jessica Gaspar, told KPRC. Reflecting on the 14-year-old that caused the accident, Gaspar said “I feel bad. I really do, but he took my mother’s life, and he has to pay for what he did.”
Police have identified the man who allegedly flashed the weapon and plan to interview him, ABC 13 reported. The 14-year-old driver of the car is currently being held in the county juvenile detention center with a broken ankle from the crash as police investigate the case and why the underage driver had access to the car.Â
The Zavala’s family has a GoFundMe page to crowdfund funeral expenses.