Police said two surviving occupants were detained after four females left a crashed SUV and ran across Highway 288.
HOUSTON, Texas — A woman and a teenage girl face evading allegations after a Houston police pursuit ended with two other teenagers being struck and killed on Highway 288, authorities said.
Deandra Mercedes Cooke, 30, was charged with misdemeanor evading on foot after officers detained her near the freeway on July 23, the Houston Police Department said. A 16-year-old girl was referred to Harris County juvenile authorities on the same allegation. Police did not release the juvenile’s name.
The arrests followed a pursuit that began with a report of shoplifting at an Old Navy store in the 5000 block of Westheimer Road. Officers received information about a vehicle believed to be connected to the report and located a dark Chevrolet Tahoe near South Rice Avenue and Westpark Drive.
Police said officers attempted to stop the Tahoe, but its driver failed to comply. A pursuit began and continued onto northbound Interstate 69 toward the Interstate 45 interchange.
A tracking device helped officers locate the Tahoe during the pursuit, police said. Authorities did not release further details about the device or specify how it became associated with the vehicle.
The Tahoe later became involved in a minor crash with another vehicle near the interchange. All four females inside the SUV got out and began running west across the South Freeway, which is part of State Highway 288.
The group made it across the northbound lanes, police said. As they crossed the southbound lanes, a white Ford Explorer and a black Honda CRV struck two of them.
The two people who were hit were later identified by age as girls who were 15 and 16. Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced them dead at the scene. Authorities had not publicly released their names.
The Ford and Honda drivers stopped and remained at the scene. Police said the drivers showed no signs of impairment and cooperated with the investigation. No allegations against them had been announced.
Cooke’s misdemeanor case was assigned to Harris County Criminal Court No. 16, according to police. Authorities did not say whether she was driving the Tahoe or describe the roles of the four occupants during the reported shoplifting incident.
Police also had not announced theft charges or said whether Cooke or the surviving teenager could face additional allegations connected to the pursuit or the fatal freeway incident. Criminal charges are accusations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty.
The Houston Police Department’s Vehicular Crimes Division continued to examine the freeway deaths and the events leading to them. Officials had not released additional findings or identified a next court proceeding as of Aug. 2.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 2, 2026.