'Completely unacceptable': Teen charged with three counts of murder after valet workers killed during high-speed chase

Three valet workers were run down and killed near a Houston sports bar on Oct. 1 by a vehicle trying to elude police in a high-speed chase.

Ahmedal Tayeb Elnouman Modawi, 17, is charged with three counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault with a motor vehicle.   The tragedy occurred at the corner of Fairdale Lane and Fountainview Drive.

Police said they tried to pull over the vehicle driven by Modawi after he was seen doing burnouts and donuts in a parking lot. Modawi reached speeds of 60 mph and struck the three valet workers before crashing into a ditch, police said.

“It sounded like a clap of thunder. I looked over and a car just came flying through the air and hit the ditch,” said Bob Lowry, who was at The Deck on Fountainview when the accident happened.

The three valet workers have been identified as Eric Orduna, Nick Rodriguez and Fnan Measho. All were members of Prospect Park South’s contract valet team.

“We’re talking about three individuals who were just out here working,” said Sean Teare with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. “They were out here doing their job. They were coming back from parking cars going to get more cars. We’re going to prosecute this person to the fullest extent because this is completely unacceptable.”

Modawi and his male passenger each sustained a broken leg and were transported to an area hospital in stable condition, police said. Interestingly, Modawi worked as a valet at Café Mawal, according to KPRC 2 sources, and was driving a customer’s car when the accident occurred.

One of the victims, Measho, 18, was the son of immigrants from northeast Africa. He had dreams of becoming a police officer in Houston one day. 

“Fnan was doing his job,” said Dawit Woldu, a family spokesman. “Such a senseless accident. It’s a tragic loss.”