SAPD: Street racing meet up on NE Side turns into fireworks disaster with 2 people losing limbs, fingers

SAPD: People started throwing wood, rocks, fireworks at officers

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police are investigating several street racing incidents that happened in different parts of the city overnight, including one that resulted in a fireworks disaster that had two people lose limbs and fingers.

Officers arrived just before 11 p.m. at the Eisenhauer Flea Market in the 3900 block of Eisenhauer Road to find roughly 200 car club racers in the parking lot.

According to police, two people were hurt while shooting off fireworks in the middle of the vehicles doing doughnuts. One of them, an 18-year-old, was in the back of a pickup truck and had his hands blown off while attempting to throw mortar style fireworks, police said.

SAPD said another victim had a firework blow up in his face and blew off three fingers from one hand and badly damaged his other hand. He also suffered injuries to both his eyes, a police report said.

The victims were taken by EMS to Brooke Army Medical Center for their injuries. Their conditions are not currently known.

Authorities say at least 50 vehicles were also later spotted at a Valero gas station near Perrin Beitel Road, and that another racing incident occurred near South General McMullen Drive and West Thompson Place.

Police said at that location people started throwing wood, rocks and fireworks at officers, hitting one of them in the chest and damaging the windshield of a patrol vehicle.

The individuals fled in vehicles as officers heard gunshots, SAPD said. No one, however, was injured and they were not able to identify a shooter.

SAPD did say that one person, a 19-year-old, was apprehended at the scene and arrested on a charge of obstructing a highway or other passageway. No other arrests were reported.


About the Authors:

Sarah Acosta is a weekend Good Morning San Antonio anchor and a general assignments reporter at KSAT12. She joined the news team in April 2018 as a morning reporter for GMSA and is a native South Texan.

Ben Spicer is a digital journalist who works the early morning shift for KSAT.