HOUSTON — An Alief Independent School District employee was arrested and charged Wednesday afternoon after investigators said she hit a student with her vehicle near the school's grounds.
The employee, who was identified as 56-year-old Chinyere Iheagwam Thursday morning, is being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office. Officials said she is a "food service specialist" with the school district. Her defense attorneys said she attempted to hit the brakes instead of the gas.
Sean Teare with the DA's office said at about 2:30 p.m., 18-year-old student Anthony Velasquez was crossing a crosswalk on High Road with a group of students when he was struck. Iheagwam's vehicle then crashed into another vehicle.
Teare said surveillance video shows Iheagwam driving at a high rate of speed past a school bus before hitting Velasquez.
"It's a miracle that only one individual was struck," Teare said. "Yet another example of a tragic, completely preventable crash."
Houston police initially reported that Velasquez had died. The department later issued a correction saying he was still alive and was fighting for his life.
At last check, Velasquez was in critical condition. Authorities said he suffered a skull fracture.
Teare doesn't believe there was a distraction element other than Iheagwam was potentially late to somewhere else. He claims she gave several different statements.
Authorities said Iheagwam had just left a building on campus and was aware of the 20 mph speed limit. She claims she was only going 16 mph.
She said she swerved into the middle lane in order to avoid Velasquez, but still hit him.
Iheagwam was arrested at the scene and was booked into the Harris County Jail.
Teare also said he doesn't believe intoxication was a factor.
Iheagwam is a United States citizen originally from Nigeria. She used a translator during her court appearance on Thursday.
Her bond was set at $30,000.
Alief ISD released the following statement Thursday morning:
"The safety and security of our students and staff is always our first priority. To address the tragic accident that occurred on High Star Road, Alief ISD is hoping to work in tandem with the City of Houston and traffic engineers to assess the safety of the roadway and provide solutions to ensure a safer environment for pedestrians. In the meantime, we are making adjustments to traffic flow and pedestrian crossing until a permanent solution can be made with the City of Houston to the public roadway. We ask for your continued thoughts and prayers for the recovery of our injured student."
