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By Doha Madani
A man who allegedly chased juveniles who were throwing eggs at cars, leading to a crash fatal crash in Houston on New Year’s Day, has been charged.
Christopher Lopez, 48, was indicted by a grand jury on one count each of manslaughter, failure to stop and render aid, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to a release from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office on Monday.
Police have said Lopez, whose car was among those egged by a group of three juveniles, allegedly flashed a semi-automatic handgun at the group of youths and chased the GMC Acadia SUV they were driving.
The fleeing juveniles drove through a red light and slammed into a Ford pickup truck, killing its driver, Silvia Zavala, 45. She was a single mom who was out running errands when she was killed.
Lopez, who was allegedly driving a tan 1970s Lincoln Continental with a white leather top, did not stop at the scene of the crash, authorities said.
A 14-year-old boy, who was allegedly among the group throwing eggs and who has not been named by police because of his age, was arrested and faces a murder charge.
In the state of Texas, suspects 17 and older are considered adults. A suspect as young as 14 can be tried for murder, but only after a juvenile court rules that the young offender had a previous record and his or her crime warranted trial as an adult, a Harris County prosecutor said.
Lopez is not in custody and a court date has not been set, the district attorney’s office told NBC News on Monday. A lawyer for Lopez could not be immediately reached by NBC News.
He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of any of the felony charges.