Driver charged after off-duty Harris County detention officer killed in crash

A late-night U-turn attempt on Westheimer Road ended with the death of an off-duty Harris County detention officer, and the driver is now facing a criminally negligent homicide charge. Houston police said the crash happened at about 11:55 p.m. Friday, May 29, 2026, near Stoney Brook Drive in west Houston.

Investigators said Djamal Benamirouche, 48, was driving a silver Lexus ES350 eastbound on 7900 Westheimer Road and made multiple abrupt lane changes to get into the far lane for a U-turn. Police said the Lexus struck a gray Kawasaki ZX1 motorcycle traveling in an adjacent lane.

The motorcycle rider, a 39-year-old Harris County detention officer, was off duty, not in uniform and riding his personal motorcycle. He was wearing a helmet, police said, but was thrown from the bike in the collision. He was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead there. At the time of the police release, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences had not yet formally notified family members, so his identity remained pending.

Benamirouche remained at the scene and was later arrested and booked into the Harris County Jail. He was charged in the 228th Criminal District Court and later released on a $75,000 bond. A trial date was set for early August, while Houston police said the investigation was continuing.

The case adds another fatal crash to a busy stretch of Westheimer Road, where late-night lane changes and U-turn maneuvers can turn deadly in seconds. The criminally negligent homicide charge signals that investigators believe the driver’s conduct went beyond a routine traffic mistake and created a serious, unjustifiable risk that cost a county employee his life.