Driver charged with murder: He killed an innocent passerby while allegedly attacking his partner

(HOUSTON) — A 35-year-old driver has been charged with murder. Police say he struck and killed an innocent pedestrian on a Houston sidewalk over the weekend while trying to run over his partner.

Sanden James George was identified by Houston police Monday evening as the suspect arrested in a fatal car crash near downtown Houston early Sunday morning.

George has been charged with murder for killing the 41-year-old nightclub manager, whom he allegedly hit with a car while trying to run over his partner, police said.

“An initial investigation, evidence from the scene and witness statements revealed that a male suspect got into a physical altercation with a 24-year-old woman before attempting to intentionally strike her with his vehicle. She was not seriously injured. The suspect's vehicle struck another woman and he fled on foot,” Houston police said in a statement.

The dead woman, whose name has yet to be confirmed by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, was pronounced dead by Houston Fire Department paramedics at the scene.

In addition to the murder, George was also accused of assaulting his partner, police said.

The incident occurred around 3 a.m. after patrol officers in the Midtown neighborhood responded to a report that a pedestrian had been struck by a car, according to the Houston Homicide Department.

“It is my understanding that the victim, the deceased, was actually the manager of one of the nightclubs and was just about to go home,” said Robert Klementich, a spokesman for the Houston Police Department, during a news conference on Sunday.

Witnesses, including the alleged victim, told police that the suspect and his partner had been involved in an argument in a nightclub and had left the establishment, Klementich said.

When George left the nightclub, he allegedly got into his car and drove around, colliding with several vehicles, Klementich said.

George's partner told investigators that the suspect intended to hit her with the vehicle when he struck the innocent bystander, Klementich said.

“She was able to swerve,” Klementich said of the suspect's companion. “Unfortunately, an innocent bystander walking on the sidewalk was struck by the suspect's vehicle.”

George reportedly fled the scene on foot, but police with the help of witnesses at the scene found him and arrested him, according to the homicide unit. George was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries before being booked into the Harris County Jail, authorities said.

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