Officer was in moving lane of traffic when he was hit by AT&T work truck, HPD says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston police officer was hospitalized after being hit by an AT&T vehicle along the IH-610 South Loop feeder road on Wednesday, according to the department.

The Houston Police Department told ABC13 that it is running a traffic initiative in the area known for speeders.

An officer was running a radar at about 2:15 p.m. when he stepped into a moving lane of traffic on the service road near the South Loop near Timberside Drive.

HPD Commander Trey Coleman, with the vehicular crimes division, said the officer attempted to wave down a driver in an AT&T truck who was allegedly speeding and when he was hit by the vehicle.

"(The officer) was standing in the traffic lane at the time. That's a common practice where officers who are running a laser, or radar, by stepping out in traffic instead of pulling the driver over," Coleman said.

ABC13 asked if standard practice included standing in a lane of traffic rather than in the grass or on a sidewalk.

"They can," Coleman responded. "They will usually do that because that way, if you stand to the side and you're out of the way, you're usually kind of hidden. So if you stay back there, they're never going to see you."

The officer was taken to the hospital and is stable but does have injuries, according to HPD.

Eyewitness News was at the scene, and the windshield of the AT&T work truck was shattered.

When asked if the driver would be ticketed despite the officer not being in a crosswalk, Coleman said, "Well, the difference between you as a pedestrian and an officer in full gear working an assignment like that, he's kind of authorized personnel to be able to do that kind of things."

It is unclear if the driver will be cited. He remained on the scene.

"Our thoughts and best wishes are with the officer involved in this accident. We expect our employees to follow traffic laws and will investigate to determine what happened here. We'll be cooperating with the police in this matter. As this is an active investigation, we would refer you to law enforcement for any further information at this time," AT&T told ABC13 in a statement.

For more on this story, follow Mycah Hatfield on Facebook, X and Instagram.