In response to a woman who was engaged in a collision and pulled out a rifle and a lawn chair and sat in one of the lanes of a highway in Texas, authorities said on Thursday that the highway was closed for many hours. The woman, who was 64 years old, was involved in the accident.
“Peacefully,” the authorities said when the woman turned herself in, the incident that took place on Interstate 45 in the Spring region, which is located north of Houston, “ended peacefully.” During the incident, nobody sustained any injuries.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s Major Cedrick Collier made the statement during a news conference that took place on Thursday evening. “We saved a life,” he said. “The good thing is someone’s mother and grandmother is coming home tonight.”
According to Collier, the woman, who has a history of mental illness, was holding a handgun in her hand and aiming it at her head for the duration of the standoff.
They were able to establish a connection with the woman, according to Collier, who stated that crisis negotiators were brought in to help her work through the situation. The woman’s daughter also arrived at the site, and she was able to communicate with her mother on the situation.
The woman appears to have purposely smashed into the rear of an 18-wheeler while driving in the southbound lanes of the freeway, according to Collier, which indicates that the incident began to unfold. He stated that the accident did not result in any injuries to anyone.
Photos were published by the Harris County Constable’s Office during the ordeal. These photographs showed the woman sitting in a lawn chair in the middle of the highway, as well as the significant police response she received.
Earlier in the day, the office of the constable stated that the suspect was not complying with verbal demands and was not willing to down the firearm.
During the response, emergency crews moved vehicles off the roadway and closed the northbound and southbound lanes of the highway. The highway has subsequently been reopened to traffic.
