Bond Set At $350K For Texas Teen Valet Driver Accused Of Crashing Into And Killing 3 Other Valets
HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM) - The 17-year-old charged with murder for a crash that killed three young men who were working as valet drivers in southwest Houston appeared in court for the first time Wednesday morning, Oct. 6.
Ahmedal Tayeb Elnouman Modawi used a walker to appear before a judge due to the injuries he sustained from the crash, KTRK-TV reported.
A judge set Modawi a total $350,000 bond: $100,000 for each of the three murder charges and $50,000 for an aggravated assault with serious bodily injury charge.
Modawi, a valet driver at Mediterranean restaurant Cafe Mawal, is accused of taking a customer's car without their permission Friday night, Oct. 1 and doing donuts in a nearby parking lot.
An officer in a patrol car then initiated a traffic stop.
Police say Modawi evaded officers and drove the car a few blocks before crashing into 18-year-old Fnan Measho, 22-year-old Eric Orduna and 23-year-old Nick Rodriguez, killing them.
All three were valet drivers for a nearby sports bar.
They were walking back to the bar from parking cars when they were hit.
According to details revealed in court Wednesday, Modawi evaded police for about half a mile before the crash.
The judge said he was driving 60 mph, double the speed limit in the area.
In addition to the three pedestrians killed, Modawi's passenger, 16-year-old Mohammed Alkatip, was ejected from the vehicle and sustained two broken legs.
Alkatip, also a valet driver at Cafe Mawal, was released from the hospital Tuesday, according to court details reported by KTRK-TV.
The judge said Modawi is currently in high school and has no previous criminal charges. He is not a U.S. citizen and is from Sudan.
Modawi was given a bond supervision order.
He is not allowed to drive without approval of a judge, cannot use illegal drugs or alcohol, cannot operate a firearm and must stay within Harris County.
If Modawi meets his bond, he will also be required to surrender his Sudanese passport.