4-year-old died in crash as dad fled police, Texas cops say. He’s prison-bound

A Texas man has been sentenced in the death of his 4-year-old son, caused by a crash during a police pursuit, officials told news outlets.

The sentencing handed down Monday, May 19, comes years after the deadly 2019 chase that ended with Omar Hilario Sanchez crashing into a tree in Waco, KWTX reported, citing court documents.

Sanchez, who was 27 at the time, collided with another vehicle at about 10:30 p.m. Aug. 15, 2019, and when police arrived at the scene, he drove away, officers told KCEN. But a short time later, Sanchez crashed, fatally injuring his son Noah who was in the back seat, police told the station.

Noah was being taken to a hospital by ambulance when his condition quickly worsened and he died, according to the station.

Police said Sanchez had a blood alcohol content of 0.20, more than double the legal limit of 0.08, KWTX reported. He told authorities that he didn’t know his son was in the car during the chase.

Initially, Sanchez was charged with murder and driving while intoxicated with a child passenger, court records show.

However, investigators couldn’t prove Sanchez knew Noah was in the car that night, so prosecutors offered a plea deal for a lesser charge of intoxication manslaughter, which Sanchez accepted, KWKT reported.

A judge sentenced Sanchez to 20 years in prison, the outlet reported.

This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 2:09 PM with the headline "4-year-old died in crash as dad fled police, Texas cops say. He’s prison-bound."