HOUSTON – A 14-year-old South Houston boy was killed and two others injured when the teen crashed a stolen truck in Brazoria County Monday night, state troopers said.
The 13-year-old who survived the accident expressed regret about what happened in an interview with KHOU 11 News Tuesday morning.
"I was looking down, in a split-second everything happened, man. I got out of the truck, and I seen his body, man," the teen said, with his mother standing nearby. "We thought we were badass thugs – now look at us, man."
The teen said it all started when the driver stole the truck on a dare.
"We dared him to, because we were kind of drunk. We didn’t think he’d do it, but he did. He took it [the truck], he stashed it, he hid it somewhere. We put 20 bucks of gas in it, and we left," the teen said. "We didn’t think about any cops or anything, you know? Ain’t no stopping us, that’s what we were thinking."
A DPS trooper said he spotted the truck speeding down the southbound lanes of FM 521 around 7:30 p.m.
Ezequiel Serna was behind the wheel, with two passengers – The 13-year-old and a 12 year old.
The trooper said he noticed some items being thrown from the truck as he tried to pull it over.
Serna initially stopped, but as soon as the trooper got out of his vehicle, investigators said the teen took off.
The trooper gave chase and ran the truck’s plates. Investigators said it came back as stolen.
The trooper followed the truck down FM 521 to FM 1462, and eventually ended up on CR 40, which is a dirt road.
The trooper said at some point on CR 40, Serna lost control of the truck and flipped it multiple times.
He was partially ejected and died at the scene.
The other boys were taken to the hospital, where they were treated and released overnight.
None of the boys was wearing his seatbelt.
"The trooper believes what caused him to lose control is, he got into a grassy area … The teenagers were unfamiliar with the area and hit some ruts, which caused the truck to flip over," DPS Trooper John Sampa said.
Sampa said the two survivors told troopers that they tossed some drugs out of the truck when the chase began.
"The two teenagers told the trooper at the crash scene that they threw out some marijuana and some hash. Right now, we haven’t confirmed that yet, but that’s what they told the trooper after the crash," Sampa said.
Investigators believe the truck, which was taken from the South Houston area, belonged to a Comcast contractor.
There was Comcast equipment strewn all over the crash site.
Serna’s sister told KHOU 11 News that her family was devastated, but that her brother had a stubborn streak.
"Once my brother got something in his head, there was nothing they could do about it," Yadira Serna said through tears. "It’s just hard to see my mom crying. It’s not supposed to be like that. Moms aren’t supposed to bury their kids."
All three boys attended Queens Intermediate School in Pasadena.
"He made a lot of mistakes, but he was a good person," a friend at Queens said of Ezequiel Serna.
Officials said there would be grief counselors available Tuesday for students who were having trouble coping with the loss.
It was not clear if the survivors would be facing any charges.
