Driver drops kids off and crashes into Texas Capitol fence: DPS

Austin, Texas – A Cedar Creek woman faces five felony charges after Texas DPS said she kicked two children out of her car before crashing into a fence on Capitol grounds Thursday.

On February 9, around 6:40 p.m., traffic police officers saw a 2014 Ford Explorer drive onto the sidewalk along 11th Street and Congress Avenue.

The driver then dropped the two children from the SUV and deliberately drove through part of the iron fence surrounding the Capitol, damaging the fence near the southwest exit posts, into the southwest area and up the driveway, DPS said. Eventually the SUV stopped at the end of a large alleyway, near the south steps of the Capitol building.

Law enforcement responded and arrested the driver, identified as 25-year-old Carla Morales Mateo. Mateo was brought to and held in the Travis County Jail on five felony charges, including: felony mischief, aggravated assault on a peace officer, evading arrest, driving under the influence, and abandoning a child.

The two minor children were handed over to the Child Protective Service.

The incident is still being investigated by the Capitol Region CID.