HOUSTON – A Houston police officer has died after drowning in his flooded patrol car.
The death of Sgt. Steve Perez, 60, was confirmed by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Tuesday.
Perez died Sunday on his way to work after leaving home at 4:30 a.m., according to KTRK.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Perez drove for two-and-a-half hours looking for a safe way into the station.
When Perez's superiors noticed he had not shown up to work by Monday, they began a search. Perez was found in his car on Interstate 45 in north Harris County.
Perez, a 34-year veteran of the Houston Police Department, was assigned to the traffic enforcement division.