Former Missouri City police officer charged with manslaughter in deadly crash

MISSOURI CITY, Texas – The former Missouri State Police officer involved in the fatal crash of a mother and son in June has been charged with manslaughter.

Blademir Viveros, 27, was arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

On June 20, Mason Stewart, who had just turned 16, was driving a 2000 Toyota Vorolla with his mother, 53-year-old Angela Stewart, and had just stopped in traffic. Missouri City PD Officer Viveros responded to an armed robbery call at an ATM on Cartwright Road.

RELATED: Missouri City police officer retired after tragic loss of mother and son

Missouri City PD and the Texas Department of Public Safety investigated the incident and discovered that the Missouri State Police SUV driven by Officer Viveros was traveling eastbound when it struck Stewart’s 2005 Toyota Corolla. Stewart failed to yield the right of way when exiting the private driveway and was struck by the police vehicle. Investigation shows that the emergency lights of the police car were not on at the time of the accident.

Both the mother and son died at the scene.

Get news, weather and more on the new FOX LOCAL app

Two hours after the crash, 53-year-old Michael Hawkins was found seriously injured in the backseat of the police SUV.

Missouri City Police Chief Brandon Harris addressed the incident, expressing uncertainty about the man’s identity and how he ended up in the patrol car. Chief Harris also would not reveal whether the man was handcuffed.

His bond was set at $250,000 for the manslaughter charge and $300,000 for the aggravated assault charge. His total bond is $800,000.