Driver charged with murder in killing of innocent bystander while allegedly targeting partner

A murder charge has been filed against a 35-year-old driver police allege struck and killed an innocent bystander on a sidewalk in Houston over the weekend while attempting to mow down his domestic partner.

Sanden James George was identified Monday evening by the Houston Police Department as the suspect arrested in a deadly crash near downtown Houston early Sunday morning.

George was charged with murder in the killing of a 41-year-old nightclub manager whom he allegedly struck with a car while attempting to run over his domestic partner, police said.

"An initial investigation, evidence from the scene, and witness statements determined a male suspect got into a physical altercation with a woman, 24, before attempting to intentionally strike her with his vehicle. She was not seriously injured. The suspect’s vehicle struck another woman and he fled on foot," Houston police said in a statement.

The woman who was killed, whose name is pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, was pronounced dead at the scene by Houston Fire Department paramedics.

In addition to murder, George was charged with assault of his partner, police said.

The incident unfolded around 3 a.m. after patrol officers in the city's Midtown area responded to a report of a pedestrian being hit by a car, according to Houston homicide detectives.

"It's my understanding that the victim, the decedent, was actually the manager of one of the nightclubs and was preparing to go home," Robert Klementich, a spokesperson for the Houston Police Department, said during a news conference Sunday.

Witnesses, including the alleged intended target, told police the suspect and his domestic partner were involved in an altercation at a nightclub and left the establishment, Klementich said.

Upon leaving the nightclub, George allegedly got into his car and started driving around crashing into multiple vehicles, Klementich said.

George's domestic partner alleged to investigators that the suspect intended to strike her with the vehicle when he hit the innocent bystander, Klementich said.

"She was able to get out of the way," Klementich said of the suspect's companion. "Unfortunately, an innocent bystander who was walking on the sidewalk was struck by the suspect's vehicle."

George allegedly fled the scene on foot, but police found him in the area with the help of witnesses and took him into custody, according to homicide investigators. George was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries before being booked at the Harris County Jail, authorities said.