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Teen crashes into San Marcos apartment building
The San Marcos Police Department is investigating after a teen drove a car into an apartment building.
SAN MARCOS, Texas - The San Marcos Police Department is investigating after a teen drove a car into an apartment building.
Families who live there have been moved somewhere else while structural engineers assess the damage.
The backstory:
SMPD says that around 8:30 p.m., officers responded to a crash at the 1856 Apartments.
Police say a 14-year-old girl was driving in the parking lot, failed to negotiate a turn, and drove into an apartment building. Another 14-year-old girl was in the car at the time.
The car went through the bedroom of the unit that it hit. Two apartments were impacted in total.
No one was injured.
"It is rented, and it is normally occupied, but in this case, the apartment renter was not at home," San Marcos Police Chief Stan Standridge said.
Dig deeper:
Police said the teens’ original explanation didn’t match the damage.
"The officers were told that the car was stationary, they were listening to the radio, and then suddenly the vehicle somehow ended up in drive and drove into the apartment," Chief Standridge said.
Police said the evidence revealed a different story.
"I do believe it is safe to assume that speed is going to be a factor, speed accompanied by the inability to navigate that turn," Chief Standridge said.
Chief Standridge said the car belongs to a family member. The crash is currently being investigated as a felony, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He said the girls’ mothers were interviewed at the scene and investigators are looking at whether parents could share responsibility.
"Ultimately, somebody needs to be held criminally responsible," Chief Standridge said.
What's next:
The impact didn’t just tear through one apartment, it shut down the entire building.
"So, the investigation is one piece of it, but the reality is this required a much larger response across the city of San Marcos because you have to get building officials involved, you have to get electric utilities involved, you have the get the gas company involved," Chief Standridge said.
The residents have been moved to other units in the complex as structural engineers determine if and when the car can be removed, and when it is safe for families to return home.
"It's going to take a while to get all of those services back up and running. I would just ask for the community's patience as city building officials work to ensure the safety of all people while that building is eventually reoccupied," Chief Standridge said.
Chief Standridge said the cost of this decision, which is criminal, is significant.
The Source: Information from San Marcos Police Department Facebook post and Russell Wilde, Public Safety Communications Specialist.