Lawsuit filed against Missouri City Police Department after accident involving person in back seat that killed two people in another vehicle

MISSOURI CITY, Texas (KTRK) — A month after a Missouri City police officer struck and killed a teenager and his mother, the police department is now facing a lawsuit.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, 27-year-old Officer Blademir Viveros did not have his hazard lights on at the time of the fatal accident.

The victims are 53-year-old Angela Stewart, a Houston ISD supervisor, and her 16-year-old son, Mason Stewart. They were struck by a Missouri city police car on June 20 after an officer received a call about a robbery in progress.

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Viveros is alleged to have exceeded the speed limit in the 1600 block of Cartwright Road.

The officer had been alerted to an ATM robbery and was driving eastbound in the 16-1700 block of Cartwright Road when the Stewarts pulled out of a Dollar Tree parking lot.

The police said that at that moment there was a side collision between their vehicle and the officer.

In a press release Thursday, Missouri City police said the Stewarts failed to yield the right of way before being struck by the police car.

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Authorities told ABC13 that a person was found in the back seat of the police car a few hours after the accident.

The person in the back seat of the patrol car was identified as 53-year-old Michael Hawkins.

His supervisor told ABC13 that he had been acting unusually that night, so she called 911. She then discovered that he was in the back seat of the patrol car at the time of the accident.

However, police could not explain why Hawkins was in the back seat of the patrol car or why it took so long for him to be discovered there. Last week, police said they were still investigating why he was in the patrol car because it is against policy for officers to respond to calls when they already have someone in custody.

According to court documents, he will remain in the hospital “for the foreseeable future.”

The lawsuit alleges that Viveros put Hawkins in danger by not turning on his lights and sirens, driving too fast and more. It also claims that Missouri City police failed to properly train and supervise their employees.

Police said Hawkins was taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where he is still being treated. Hawkins’ friends told ABC13 that he is paralyzed from the waist down and is on a ventilator at the hospital.

A video shows rescue workers desperately pulling him out of the patrol car to help him.

Missouri City police said the officer has been with the department for just under a year. He came to Missouri City from a previous agency where he had about two years of experience.

Viveros has since been relieved of his duties and the investigation is ongoing.

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