Man charged in deadly crash

Harris County prosecutors charged a man Thursday with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly ran a red light while under the influence of an unknown substance, crashing into multiple vehicles and causing the death of a man and injuring his wife, officials said.

Tarus M. Lawson, 42, was driving about 20 to 25 mph and swerving between lanes on April 2 in the early afternoon near Westbury in south Houston, according to the complaint.

An off-duty Fort Bend deputy in the area said the driver appeared to be slouched and dazed.

Before the deputy could attempt to pull Lawson over, he allegedly sped past her at a red light, crashing into the back of a silver pickup. The pickup then crashed into two other vehicles.

The Fort Bend deputy told authorities that Lawson never applied his brakes and was driving approximately 70 mph when he crashed.

Police said Lawson crashed his vehicle into Juan Ortiz Hernandez’s vehicle. Hernandez was in the vehicle with his wife, Norma Trejo Ortiz. An autopsy concluded that Hernandez died from blunt force trauma. His wife suffered a broken leg that required surgery.

Upon impact, her left leg went through the front windshield.

The deputy told Houston police officers that after the crash she walked over to Lawson and smelled a chemical odor she believed to be PCP. She told officers that Lawson had slurred speech and difficulty walking.