AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Texas semitrailer driver rammed a stolen 18-wheeler though the front a public safety building where his renewal for a commercial driver’s license had been rejected, killing one person and injuring 13 others, authorities said Friday.
The intentional crash into the single-story brick building off a highway in Brenham, a rural town outside of Houston, littered debris in the parking lot and left a gaping hole in the entrance. The crash damaged the front of the red semitrailer, which was hauling materials on a flatbed.
The driver — identified as Clenard Parker, 42 — was pulled out of the truck by authorities at the Texas Department of Public Safety office. Authorities say Parker did not resist when he was taken into custody and would face multiple felonies, but did not specify the charges.
On Thursday, Parker was told by employees at the office that he would not be eligible to renew his commercial driver’s license, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Justin Ruiz said. He did not elaborate as to why Parker’s renewal was rejected.
Emergency personnel work at the scene after an 18-wheeler crashed into the Texas Department of Public Safety Office in Brenham, Texas, Friday, April 12, 2024. A suspect is in custody in connection to a commercial vehicle crash at the Texas Department of Public Safety office in the rural town west of Houston. Texas DPS officials say multiple injuries were reported in the crash. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi) 
First responders on the scene after a stolen 18-wheeler crashed into a Texas Department of Public Safety office on US-290 in Brenham, Texas on Friday, April 12, 2024. The driver of a stolen semitrailer intentionally rammed it into the Texas public safety office in a rural town west of Houston on Friday, injuring multiple people, according to a state lawmaker. (Meredith Seaver /College Station Eagle via AP) 
First responders on the scene after a stolen 18-wheeler crashed into a Texas Department of Public Safety office on US-290 in Brenham, Texas on Friday, April 12, 2024. The driver of a stolen semitrailer intentionally rammed it into the Texas public safety office in a rural town west of Houston on Friday, injuring multiple people, according to a state lawmaker. (Meredith Seaver /College Station Eagle via AP) 
First responders on the scene after a stolen 18-wheeler crashed into a Texas Department of Public Safety office on US-290 in Brenham, Texas on Friday, April 12, 2024. The driver of a stolen semitrailer intentionally rammed it into the Texas public safety office in a rural town west of Houston on Friday, injuring multiple people, according to a state lawmaker. (Meredith Seaver /College Station Eagle via AP) 
Emergency personnel work at the scene after an 18-wheeler crashed into the Texas Department of Public Safety Office in Brenham, Texas, Friday, April 12, 2024. A suspect is in custody in connection to a commercial vehicle crash at the Texas Department of Public Safety office in the rural town west of Houston. Texas DPS officials say multiple injuries were reported in the crash. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi) 
Emergency personnel work at the scene after an 18-wheeler crashed into the Texas Department of Public Safety Office in Brenham, Texas, Friday, April 12, 2024. A suspect is in custody in connection to a commercial vehicle crash at the Texas Department of Public Safety office in the rural town west of Houston. Texas DPS officials say multiple injuries were reported in the crash. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)
Authorities said 13 people were involved in the incident. Although eight people were treated at the scene, multiple others were taken to local hospitals for treatment.
One employee in the building was trapped “for a period of time” after the crash but no one who worked at the driver’s license office suffered serious injuries, Republican state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst said.
Texas DPS officials said in a social media post on X that the crash happened at the agency’s office in Brenham, Texas, located about 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of Houston and requested people avoid the area to clear the way for responding medical personnel.
Kolkhorst said in a social media post three people were life-flighted with critical injuries while three others were taken to local hospitals in stable condition.
Kolkhorst said in the post, “According to law enforcement, this appears to be an intentional, criminal act.”
Images from the scene showed a large, red tractor-trailer hauling material on a flatbed in the parking lot of the building. The front end of the 18-wheeler was damaged and covered with debris from the front doors of the office. Debris was also scattered out front near a gaping hole in the entrance.
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.
City of Brenham officials did not immediately respond to calls seeking further information. It wasn’t immediately clear if Parker had a lawyer or would be appointed one at a future court appearance. The jail’s website didn’t list an attorney or pending court date.
Ruiz said he didn’t know if Parker had a criminal record. He said they were still investigating whether he was armed at the time of the crash. He said they also were investigating whether his actions might be considered an act of terrorism.
“We’re trying to figure that out,” Ruiz said. He said the FBI was assisting in the investigation.