Two women were killed and two others detained after four occupants left a crashed SUV and ran across the freeway.
HOUSTON, Texas — A section of the Southwest Freeway was closed for about seven hours overnight after two women were fatally struck while crossing traffic lanes at the end of a police pursuit, Houston authorities said.
The closure followed a series of events that began with a reported shoplifting at an Old Navy store in the Galleria area and ended near the Southwest Freeway’s interchange with Interstate 45. Four women left a Chevrolet Tahoe after a minor crash during the pursuit, and police said all four attempted to cross the freeway on foot.
Officers were called to the clothing store in the 5000 block of Westheimer Road at about 9:15 p.m. Thursday. Police received a description of a vehicle connected to the report and located a Tahoe near South Rice Avenue and Westpark Drive.
Police said officers tried to make a traffic stop, but the driver did not pull over. The Tahoe entered the Southwest Freeway, and officers followed it north toward downtown Houston.
Near the Interstate 45 interchange, the SUV was involved in what police described as a minor collision with another vehicle. Investigators said the four women then left the Tahoe and ran across the freeway.
All four made it across the northbound lanes, police said. Two were struck by passing vehicles as the group tried to cross the southbound side. Emergency personnel pronounced both women dead at the scene.
The two surviving women were detained shortly afterward and remained in police custody Friday. Police had not announced charges against them or identified which woman had been driving the Tahoe.
Investigators closed the freeway as officers documented the scene, examined the involved vehicles and worked to determine how the women were struck. The shutdown continued through the night before all lanes reopened Friday morning.
Authorities had not released the names or ages of the women who died. Police also had not disclosed the identities of the motorists who struck them or said whether either driver was suspected of wrongdoing.
Police said a tracking device helped officers find the Tahoe after the shoplifting report. Investigators had not released details about the allegedly stolen merchandise, including what was taken or its estimated value.
The sequence of events remained under investigation Friday, including the reported theft, the decision to flee the attempted traffic stop, the Tahoe’s collision and the fatal pedestrian crashes. No additional injuries had been publicly confirmed.
Author note: Last updated July 24, 2026.