N. Houston chase ends with evacuations

"I have my daughter and my friend's baby that were in the car," said carjacking victim Petra Martinez. "I thought he was gonna take off with them."

For Martinez, a trip to Tampico for snow cones turned dangerous.

"They were just crying when they saw the guy, that he had the gun pointed to my head," she said.

A stranger first asked for a ride. She said no.

"He pulled out a gun and he like had it to my head, and he's like, 'Get the keys and put your purse in there, Get the kids out'."

She didn't know if she'd ever see her vehicle again, but it wasn't long before police spotted it nearby.

"The vehicle was spotted in the neighborhood a little bit north of the location and a vehicle pursuit ensued," said Sgt. K.D. Smith with the Houston Police Department.

That pursuit came to a crashing end in a cluster of restaurants off Irvington and East Crosstimbers.

"He wound up in the back of a building and knocking over a gas main," said Sgt. Smith.

"Eight or nine cars pulled up there, and everybody got up and started looking around," said restaurant manager Robin Neal.

The gas line was no simple fix, so restaurants open late were cleared of patrons.

"Some of you people come back and pay your bill," said Neal.

The suspect may have his own bill to pay.

"The suspect was taken into custody before he had a chance to flee," said Sgt. Smith.

He was hauled away, along with the car police say he tried to steal.