At least 6 dead, 1 in critical condition after 'major' collision in Houston: Police

At least six people were killed and another is in critical condition after a "major crash" in downtown Houston early Saturday, police said.

Police responded to the scene of the two-vehicle collision around 2 a.m., according to Houston Police Department Asst. Chief Megan Howard.

A driver of a black Chrysler 300 sped through a red light at a "high velocity," colliding with a black Acura SUV that had the right of way at the intersection, Howard said.

The impact caused multiple people in the vehicles to be ejected, police said. The Chrysler left the roadway and struck a pedestrian -- believed to be a homeless man -- who was on the sidewalk, police said.

Five men and one woman died in the collision, police said.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene -- the driver of the Chrysler, two people believed to have been ejected from the Acura, and the pedestrian -- police said. Two people succumbed to their injuries after being transported to local hospitals, Howard said.

Two others -- a woman with life-threatening injuries and a man -- were transported to hospitals as well, Howard said. The man, who was being interviewed by officers earlier, is in stable condition, police said.

It is unclear at this time who was driving the Acura, Howard said.

"We're looking to get more information from what appears to be one of the survivors of the SUV," Howard told reporters during a press briefing.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner briefly addressed the crash during an unrelated press briefing on Saturday.

"That's just tough," he said. "Six individuals, young people, deceased."

The identities of the six deceased persons are pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, police said.

Finner said police will release the names of the victims once all families of the deceased are notified.

A friend of the homeless man killed told ABC Houston station KTRK he was sleeping near the victim when the collision occurred.

"Literally, it sounded like two trains crashing together. I can still hear the sound in my head. It's nerve-wracking," the man told the station. "I was right next to him. I just had something in my gut telling me to get up, and I got up. But it could have been me."