Father Accused of Hitting Village School SRO with Car
The accused father allegedly tried to pick his son up from the Texas elementary school without permission and was arrested by police.
The father claims he never hit the SRO with his vehicle, despite the accusations against him. Image: iStock.com/Mih_alex
A man accused of trying to take his son out of school without permission and then hitting a school resource officer with his car was arrested Tuesday night.
Steve de la Torre, 42, was charged with aggravated assault, according to Jeff McShan, a spokesman for Harris County Constable Precinct 5 in Houston, Texas, reports Chron.
De la Torre arrived at The Village School in West Houston to pick up his son at around 1 p.m. McShan says not only did he not have permission to pick up his son, but a coach at the school has a restraining order against him as well.
The SRO on duty knew about the restraining order and recognized de la Torre’s vehicle.
When he attempted to stop de la Torre from entering the school the father allegedly tried to run over the guard with his vehicle. De la Torre sped off as the SRO pulled his gun and opened fire, McShan said.
The guard, who sustained minor injuries from the car, has been cleared of any wrongdoing by law enforcement, said school spokeswoman Paige Harris.
De la Torre later called Precinct 5 and offered to turn himself in.
“We will continue our ongoing dialogue with law enforcement until this matter comes to a conclusion,” Harris said. “The safety and security of our children and everyone on our campus is always our number one priority.”
De la Torre claims he did not violate the restraining order, reports Click2Houston. He says he was not on school property and did not hit anyone with his car.
“There’s no hand prints, no damage to my car, nothing. And then, three shots were fired,” de la Torre added.
De la Torre was not shot by the SRO, but, “his truck had bullet holes in it,” said McShan.
De la Torre is being held in Harris County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
About the Author
Katie Malafronte, Web Editor
Katie Malafronte is Campus Safety's Web Editor. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2017 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Writing & Rhetoric. Katie has been CS's Web Editor since 2018.
Related Content
Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century
This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!
