A veteran cop who ignored his wife's advice to stay home from work in flood-ravaged Houston tragically drowned when his patrol car became trapped in the swirling waters raging through the hurricane-swept city.
"I've got work to do," Sgt. Steve Perez, who had been with the Houston Police Department for 34 years, told his wife as he headed off for work at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Perez, who was 60 years old and just days shy of his 61st birthday, was riding along Interstate 45 near Hardy Toll Road when high waters swallowed his vehicle.
"He laid down his life. He was a sweet, gentle public servant," said tearful Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, NBC News reported.
"Every day we ask men and women to show up in good and bad conditions. Today I simply say our heart is saddened."
Officials said Perez had been attempting to use alternate routes to avoid roads too treacherous to pass. But his luck ran out when his vehicle became submerged along a portion of thoroughfare that was underwater.
Perez attempted to free himself from the disabled patrol car, but was unable to escape the surging water.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted:
Sylvester also said: "Sometimes you find a way to make it happen, or you die in trying. Sgt. Perez lost his life because he tried to make it happen, he tried to get at his post ... that's the ultimate sacrifice."
Perez's tragic death is the 15th attributed to Hurricane Harvey, now a tropical storm, which has dumped as much as 50 inches of rain in Houston and the surrounding areas.
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Mike Hart told CNN that his agency rescued more than 3,000 people on Monday.
Related Stories:
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.