Charges Filed Against Driver of Military-Style Semi Truck
Involved in Overnight Pursuit
Jan. 5, 2026 — The driver of a military style semi-trailer truck that crashed into multiple vehicles on Sunday night has been booked into the Harris County Jail.
Omar Antonio Moreno, 53, is charged with three felony counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer and one count of evading arrest. Sheriff’s deputies took Moreno into custody at approximately 1:20 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 5, after a lengthy vehicle pursuit and standoff that ended on the Eastex Freeway (US 59) near Little York. No serious injuries were reported in connection with the incident.
Moreno does not own the vehicle, and detectives are working to determine whether an additional charge of theft is warranted.
An off-duty Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Deputy reported he was at a gas station along the Eastex Freeway at Aldine Bender at approximately 9:47 p.m. when another driver reported that the truck had crashed into him. A Sheriff’s Deputy responded to the call. The driver refused to stop for the deputy, and a low-speed pursuit began along the highway’s northbound lanes as deputies used road spikes to deflate the truck’s tires. Multiple other law enforcement agencies joined the pursuit, including Texas DPS, Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office, and the Houston Police Department.
The pursuit lasted 65 minutes, covered 27 miles, and reached a top speed of 40 mph before the truck finally came to a stop on the Eastex Freeway at Little York.
Sheriff’s Office SWAT deputies were called to facilitate the driver’s arrest when he refused to exit the truck. Deputies eventually deployed tear gas into the truck, at which point the driver surrendered without further incident at approximately 1:20 a.m. on Monday.
Following is a preliminary list of locations where the truck struck various vehicles during the incident:
1 vehicle at Hermann Road and Suburban Road (8:35 p.m.)
1 vehicle at Winfield Road and Hirsch Road (9:34 p.m.)
1 vehicle at Aldine Mail Route Road and Eastex Freeway (9:37 p.m.)
1 vehicle in the 11900 block of Mandy (9:46 p.m.)
2 vehicles at Old North Belt Drive and N. Sam Houston Parkway (9:49 p.m.)
2 vehicles at N. Sam Houston Parkway at Mesa Road (9:57 p.m.)
