A Texas man is being charged for his role in a fatal New Year’s Day crash after he allegedly flashed his gun and chased a 14-year-old driver who egged his car, police said.
Christopher Lopez, 48, is charged with manslaughter, failure to stop and render aid, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the Houston crash, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. His bond was set at $60,000 on Tuesday, police told ABC13.
Lopez allegedly flashed a semi-automatic handgun at a GMC Acadia SUV full of teens. The teen driver ran a red light to escape, slamming head-on into a Ford pickup truck and killing its driver, 45-year-old single mom Silvia Zavala, according to police.
Lopez, who was driving a tan 1970s Lincoln Continental, did not stop at the scene of the crash, officials said. He faces up to 20 years behind bars if he’s convicted of any of the felony charges. Lopez has no prior convictions.
The 14-year-old driver, who is not being identified because of his age, faces a murder charge. He broke his ankle in the crash. Friends riding in the car with him were not harmed.
Zavala’s daughter, Jessica Gaspar, spoke out about the teen’s murder charge following her mother’s death.
“I feel bad for him. He’s just 14 years old but he took my entire life away from me,” Gaspar told KHOU11.
“Even though he’s 14, he took my mom’s life away. He took it. And she was the only one I had,” she added.