19-year-old driver fleeing police pins woman on sidewalk, killing her, Texas cops say

An attempted traffic stop in Texas ended in tragedy when the driver crashed and killed a pedestrian, police told news outlets.

Police told KABB that they were surveilling 19-year-old Leo Xavier Pinero’s vehicle as part of a covert narcotics investigation. When a marked patrol car approached him early Tuesday, Jan. 14, in San Antonio, Pinero and a female passenger sped away, police said.

San Antonio police said officers stopped pursuing Pinero as their chopper followed his vehicle, KENS reported.

Pinero eventually lost control over the vehicle, jumping a curb, colliding with a concrete wall before striking a woman who was walking along the sidewalk, police said, according KSAT. The victim was pinned and dragged down the street, police said.

The woman, who has not been publicly identified, was pronounced dead at the scene, KENS reported.

Police said Pinero abandoned the car and ran away along with his female passenger, according to KSAT. Police arrested him shortly after.

Pinero has been charged with murder and evading arrest, KSAT reported.

Pinero was previously arrested in January 2023 and charged with aggravated assault after he was accused of leading police on a chase through a residential neighborhood in a stolen vehicle when he was 17, KABB reported, citing police records.

He was also charged at the time with evading arrest, then sentenced to three years in prison before being released on parole after five months, KENS reported.

Following his recent arrest, Pinero was booked into Bexar County Jail with bond set at $200,000, KABB reported.

This story was originally published January 16, 2025 at 9:59 AM with the headline "19-year-old driver fleeing police pins woman on sidewalk, killing her, Texas cops say."