Truck Plows Into Texas DPS Office In 'Intentional' Act, Killing 1, Officials Say

A big rig plowed into a Texas Department of Public Safety office in an apparent "intentional" act, injuring multiple people, officials said Friday. Fourteen people were injured in the crash, and one person died from their injuries at the hospital, said DPS Sgt. Justin Ruiz at a news conference on Friday afternoon.

A suspect stole the 18-wheeler and crashed into the office in Brenham, about 75 miles west of Houston, in a "deliberate, heinous act," said Texas state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst in a statement on social media. 

Ruiz said the suspect, identified as 42-year-old Clenard Parker, was denied his commercial driver's license the previous afternoon at the Brenham office.

Three people were life-flighted with critical injuries and three others were transported to local hospitals in stable condition, Kolkhorst said.

Kolkhorst, who represents the area, said that no DPS employees suffered serious injuries and one staffer was trapped "for a period of time" in the building. 

Texas DPS officials said an arrest has been made. Texas Rangers will be handling the investigation.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is a sprawling agency and one of the largest state law enforcement operations in the country. It includes troopers who are a central part of a massive border security operation on the U.S.-Mexico border as well as the Texas Rangers, the state's top criminal investigators. But the department also has offices across the state that issue driver's licenses.

This is a developing story and will be updated.