At least one arrest has been made after an early-morning crash killed two people and injured three others in Dallas Tuesday morning, officials say.
The crash took place at about 5 a.m. in the southbound lanes of Interstate 35E between Illinois and Saner avenues, closing the highway for nearly five hours.
Deputies said a red Cadillac hit the concrete guardrail then crashed into a Chevrolet. The Chevrolet then collided with a big-rig and burst into flames, according to deputies. Four other drivers couldn't avoid the chain-reaction crash and collided with the cars.
The crashes were so violent it split the Chevrolet in half.
The severity of the injuries to the survivors and the names of the victims are not yet known.
Officials with the Dallas County Sheriff's Department did not say how many arrests were made, or who was arrested, but they said they are considering criminal negligence homicide charges. Racing is being investigated as a possible cause of the crash.
"The interstate is not a place to be racing and there are consequences," said Carmen Castro, Dallas County Sheriff's Department.
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J. Bivins, who was helping his son after his car broke down, witnessed the crash and told NBC 5 that he saw one of the cars involved in the wreck racing shortly before the collision.
"This car and another car, they was speeding, going at least 110-120 [mph]," Bivins said. "Next thing I know, I heard a bang. I came up here and saw all the stuff that had happened."
The southbound lanes of I-35E was reopened to traffic just before 9:30, nearly five hours after the crash was reported.
NBC 5's Kendra Lyn, Frank Heinz and Christina Miralla contributed to this report.
