Retired federal agent shoots armed robbery suspect in NW Harris County

HOUSTON

A frightening few moments for folks as they returned home from what surely was an already emotional evening, ambushed in a driveway by a masked gunman as they returned from a wake.

The 17000 block of Ponderosa Pines is normally a quiet street, according to neighbors.

Neighbor Louis Vargas said, "I heard four to five shots fired."

Vargas called 911 after he heard gunshots just two doors down, last night.

"I saw the car pretty much in motion," he said.

p> Vargas says he saw the suspects fleeing in a getaway car. Investigators say what he witnessed was the tail end of a driveway robbery. They tell us it was about 10:30pm Sunday as four people returned to the home from a wake.

Three people had already entered the house when detectives say a fourth was approached by a masked man with a gun demanding money. Vargas says that's when that victim did something smart, which maybe he knew would get him some help.

"In a very loud voice he was yelling back, don't shoot me, don't shoot me," Vargas recalled.

Vargas tells us a retired federal agent was among those who had just returned home. Investigators say he pulled out a weapon and the suspect fired on him as he came back outside. He returned fire, hitting the suspect at least twice, according to authorities. The wounded suspect then fled in a waiting getaway car.

"That's very frightening," said neighbor Christy Wright. "That's very frightening."

The attack has rattled nerves of those living nearby, who wonder how safe their neighborhood has become.

Investigators are looking to see if they can link this robbery to others committed recently nearby. They figure at least three people were involved in this attack.

Investigators say that suspect, or someone closely matching his description, showed up at a nearby hospital with two gunshot wounds Sunday night. They're not life threatening. He's been questioned now by detectives. No arrests have been made, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

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