Waller County DA Vows Answers For Cyclists Injured In Crash

WALLER COUNTY, TX — The Waller County District Attorney's Office is vowing to get answers in a weekend incident that saw six cyclists injured and four taken to hospitals when a 16-year-old driver crashed into them.

The crash happened on Old Highway 290 in Waller County on Saturday when the driver hit the cyclists with his Ford Super Duty pickup truck.

Witnesses of the accident said the driver was attempting to "roll coal" on the cyclists. District Attorney Elton Mathis' office is spreading the word about the term, which refers to someone intentionally blowing exhaust on passerby, to law enforcement and other agencies in the county.

In a Facebook post Wednesday, the District Attorney's Office said that the act of rolling coal itself was grounds for assault and that local law enforcement agencies were being reminded of these and other charges that can be pursued against those doing it.

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The teen driver, who has still not been identified because he is a minor, was not arrested at the scene, and no charges have been filed. The Waller County Sheriff's Office is still investigating the incident, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Mathis told ABC13 the teen could be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon but that any charges would be decided by a grand jury in October or November.

Rick DeToto, the attorney for the teen's family, told the Houston Chronicle that the teen was a young and inexperienced driver with no criminal intent.

The four cyclists taken to hospitals in Houston and Waller County have been released, according to the ABC13 report. A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help pay for the cyclists' medical bills. So far, $10,790 has been raised.