Hero Texas police officer, an Army veteran, killed in line of duty during car chase: ‘Truly owe my life to him’

A Texas police officer and veteran Army soldier is being hailed as a hero for “sacrificing” himself to save the lives of others from a speeding maniac.

Sgt. Mark Butler of the Navasota Police Department was killed in a head-on collision Wednesday when a suspected bank robber drove on the wrong side of the road in a desperate attempt to flee another pursuing patrol car, officials said.

Witnesses say the heroic officer purposely put himself in the speeding woman’s path to save other drivers traveling down the highway.

“I don’t believe we would have made it out if it wasn’t for the officer. He selflessly gave himself up so nobody else would perish,” Jonathan Crider  of the harrowing moments before the crash.

Crider and his landscaping coworkers were directly in the path of the accelerating black Jeep Wrangler — until Butler maneuvered his patrol car in front of them, the man recalled.

“We changed lanes five seconds before the impact. He didn’t swerve or brake. He sacrificed himself to save everyone behind us. I truly owe my life to him.”

Butler wasn’t even a member of the police squad that was pursuing the suspected bank robber at the time of the crash, according to officials.

The tragic saga had kicked off just 20 minutes earlier when College Station police made contact with a woman who was attempting to cash a fraudulent check at a local bank.

The woman fled in her Jeep and the officers gave chase until they witnessed her drive south in the northbound lanes of Highway 6.

They “terminated the pursuit,” but continued to “follow the suspect as she drove the wrong way on Highway 6,”

That’s when Butler “maneuvered his marked patrol vehicle and collided with the suspect, preventing her from hitting other motorists on the highway,” according to the 

The woman, who has not yet been identified, died at the scene. Butler was rushed to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

“Today was a heartbreaking reminder of the danger our law men & women face every time they leave home for work,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Butler was a United States Army veteran.

He had served nearly four years with the Navasota Police Department.

The crash, as well as the suspected check fraud, are still under investigation.