Pasadena pawn shop robbery ends in double 18-wheeler crash, one suspect hurt
Two armed suspects fleeing a Pasadena pawn shop robbery were struck by two 18-wheelers near I-10, leaving one critically hurt and the other in custody.
A robbery at a Pasadena pawn shop turned into a violent freeway chain reaction when the suspects’ getaway car was hit by two separate 18-wheelers near the 610 East Loop and I-10 corridor. One suspect was trapped inside the wrecked Nissan Altima and taken to a hospital with major injuries, while the second ran from the scene and was later arrested by Houston police.
Pasadena police said the call came in around 9 a.m. Thursday, June 18, 2026, at Cash America Pawn in the 500 block of Pasadena Boulevard. Investigators said two armed suspects went into the store, robbed it at gunpoint and stole jewelry before fleeing in a white Nissan Altima.
Officers spotted the car near the IH-10 and East Loop area. Police said the Altima took the Market Street exit, ran a stoplight and was then struck by the first tractor-trailer. The car spun out, went down an embankment and came back onto the highway, where a second 18-wheeler hit it again on I-10.
The wreck left one suspect pinned in the vehicle until rescuers got him out and rushed him to the hospital. ABC13 said the hospitalized suspect was critically injured. The second suspect fled on foot, and Houston police took him into custody about an hour later.
The crash created a dangerous scene on one of the region’s busiest freight and commuter routes, where traffic from Pasadena feeds directly into the 610 Loop and I-10. The sequence also underscored how quickly an armed robbery can spill beyond a store break-in and become a public-safety emergency for truck drivers, officers and nearby motorists.
Pasadena police described the aftermath as a community concern. “Our thoughts remain with everyone impacted, and we want our community to know that the safety and security of Pasadena residents will always remain our highest priority,” the department said.
No one involved had been publicly identified in the early reports, and investigators had not immediately released details on the jewelry taken or what charges the suspects could face. The case remained under investigation as police pieced together the robbery, pursuit and twin collisions that brought the getaway to a stop.
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