Parker, who was not injured, was later taken into custody, he said. Public safety personnel had told Parker on Thursday that “he was not eligible to renew his commercial driver’s license,” Ruiz said.
The truck slammed into the building around 10:30 a.m., hitting the area where the driver’s license office and waiting area are located, authorities said. Fourteen people, including DPS officers and civilians, were inside.
Six people were airlifted or taken to hospitals and eight others were injured at the scene, Ruiz said. One of the people injured in the accident died after being transported, he said. The identity of the victim has not been released.
It was not immediately clear how many of the victims were civilians or DPS personnel.
Texas State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R), whose hometown is Brenham, said the incident is a reminder of the workplace dangers that public servants can face.
“That office over there is known to…everyone in Brenham,” Kolkhorst said. “We took our children there to get their driving test. I passed my driving test there. It is a place of public service.
“What we saw today is an act of violence,” she added.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is a sprawling state agency responsible for handling a wide range of issues, including threats against schools, mass attacks in public places, sex trafficking and security operations along the the U.S.-Mexico border, according to its website. It also has offices throughout the state that issue driver’s licenses.
The day after Parker was denied his license renewal, he got into a semi-trailer that had been reported stolen, fled police along the highway, and eventually took a “hard right turn” into the building. of DPS, Ruiz said. He faces multiple misdemeanors, Ruiz added.
The incident remains under investigation by the Texas Rangers.
“We will pursue this person to the fullest extent of the law,” Kolkhorst said. “Because this will not be tolerated.”
washingtonpost
