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1 killed, 13 hurt after driver rams truck into Tex. state agency, officials say

Authorities say the driver intentionally crashed into the Department of Public Safety office in Brenham in an apparent act of retaliation

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April 12, 2024 at 7:14 p.m. EDT
First responders on the scene after a stolen 18-wheeler crashed into a Texas Department of Public Safety office in Brenham, Tex., on Friday. (Meredith Seaver/College Station Eagle/AP)
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One person was killed and 13 others injured Friday after a man crashed a stolen 18-wheeler truck into a Department of Public Safety office in Brenham, Tex., one day after he was denied a commercial driver’s license in the same building, officials said.

The driver, identified by authorities as Clenard Parker, 42, was being pursued by police when he slammed the semitrailer into the exterior wall of the government building about 75 miles northwest of Houston, Sgt. Justin Ruiz with the Texas Department of Public Safety said during a news conference Friday afternoon.

Parker, who was not hurt, was later taken into custody, he said. Public safety staff had told Parker on Thursday that “he was not eligible to renew his commercial driver’s license,” Ruiz said.

The truck hit the building around 10:30 a.m., ramming the area where the driver’s license office and waiting area are located, officials said. Fourteen people, including DPS workers and civilians, were inside.

Six people were airlifted or driven to hospitals and eight others had injuries treated at the scene, Ruiz said. One of those hurt in the crash died after being transported, he said. The victim’s identity has not been released.

It’s not immediately clear how many of the victims were civilians or DPS staffers.

Texas state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R), whose hometown is Brenham, said the incident is a reminder of workplace dangers those in public service can face.

“That office right there is something known to … everyone in Brenham,” Kolkhorst said. “We’ve taken our children to get their driver’s license there. I’ve gotten my driver’s license there. It’s a place of public service.”

“What we’ve seen today was an act of violence,” she added.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is a sprawling state agency tasked with addressing a wide scope of issues, including threats to schools, mass attacks in public places, sex trafficking and security operations along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to its website. It also has offices across the state that issue driver’s licenses.

The day after he was denied a license renewal, Parker got into a semitrailer that had been reported stolen, fled police along the highway and ultimately took a “hard right turn” into the DPS building, Ruiz said. He is facing multiple felony offenses, Ruiz added.

The incident remains under investigation, which is being led by the Texas Rangers.

“We will prosecute this person to the full extent of the law,” Kolkhorst said. “Because this will not be tolerated.”