UPDATE: The FBI has announced an arrest in yesterday's chemical spill in West Houston. The teenager in custody is 19-year old Christopher Lee Melder.
Late Sunday morning (12-15-2019) there was a mercury spill in the parking lots of a few stores near the intersection of The West Beltway 8 and Westview. They included a Shell Gas Station, A Sonic Restaurant and a Walmart. Dozens of people were decontaminated for safety precautions according to Houston Police Department. One woman was also transported to a nearby hospital strictly because she is pregnant.
The man who was said to have a lot of mercury spilled it in three different places. There was no immediate threat to the public outside the area, officials said. The risk to the public was extremely low due to the heavy metal being spilled on the ground. Many of the surround streets were closed off for hours, but are opened up now. The Houston FBI is leading an investigation of local enforcement agencies to determine if the spillage was accidental or intentional.