SAN ANTONIO – A pedestrian was hit and killed by a San Antonio Police Department patrol car during a pursuit of a carjacking suspect who is now charged with murder in connection with the fatality.
According to an SAPD preliminary report, bike officers responded around 8 p.m. Friday to a call in the 200 Block of East Martin for a reported carjacking. A man and a woman told officers that two men stole their vehicle and purse at gunpoint.
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The stolen vehicle was located by officers who tried to stop the car before the driver fled and got away.
At approximately 10:30 p.m., officers located the stolen vehicle and once again tried to stop the driver in the 300 block of WW White Road.
“The driver refused to stop and led police on a pursuit when a pedestrian, who was in the street, was struck by one of the patrol cars that had been chasing the suspect, the report said.
The officers immediately stopped and rendered aid, but the victim, 47-year-old India Watson, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect, Rene Camarillo, 17, was captured nearby after he abandoned the vehicle and led officers on a foot chase, the report said.
“It’s unfortunate,” said a man who lives near the crime scene, who asked not to be identified. “I mean, I feel sorry for her and her family. I really do.”
He said Friday’s incident is part of the reason he worries for his children’s safety.
“I can’t let my kids even walk to the store because who knows that somebody might steal a car and jump a curve and hit something,” he said.
Bexar County data from September shows more teens are carrying guns. The number of teens involved in car thefts is skyrocketing.
The dad believes this incident is part of an alarming trend with major yet avoidable consequences.
“You could have chosen to not steal the car, not get chased by the cops,” he said. “Cops wouldn’t have hit that lady, (she) would still be living. You still would have ... had a good chance of going to high school, possibly college, even (the) military.”
Camarillo is facing multiple charges, including murder.
He’s currently in the Bexar County Jail on a $175,000.00 bond, court records show. The report said “his actions caused the crash that led to the pedestrian’s death.”
The officer involved in the crash will be placed on administrative duty until further notice, and the investigation is ongoing.