Firefighters ran 'like a normal person,' didn't jump from balcony when facing armed man, family says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man accused of pointing a gun at two firefighters during a medical emergency call appeared in court for the first time on Monday.

It happened during a medical call in southwest Houston on Saturday night.

Jaime Marquez, 23, faced a judge on Monday morning. He's charged with two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant.

His bond was set at $50,000 for each charge -- $100,000 total. The judge said he has no criminal history.

The incident reportedly happened at the Ashford Buena Vista Apartments in the 6000 block of Bissonnet Street around 11 p.m. Saturday.

Firefighters initially went into Marquez's apartment at the complex for a medical emergency. Police said Marquez had just had a seizure and was disoriented.

ORIGINAL REPORT: Houston firefighters jump off 2nd-floor balcony to escape patient who pulled gun on them, HPD says

The HFD crew reportedly had to jump from a second-floor balcony after the man, who said he was having seizures, allegedly grabbed a loaded weapon and pointed it at the first responders.

Officials said Marquez claimed he wanted to grab a shirt before going to the hospital but came out of the bedroom with a gun instead and pointed it at the firefighters.

Fearing for their lives, the two firefighters jumped off a second-floor balcony to get away - although Marquez's family said that wasn't the case.

One of the firefighters reported that as he jumped from the balcony, he thought he heard a gunshot, but HPD investigators found no evidence of a shooting.

According to officers, Marquez thought someone was coming into his apartment to shoot him. When he saw the firefighters, he told police he thought they were there to shoot him.

Officials said one responder broke his scapula. They both had bruises and cuts but are out of the hospital and recovering with their families.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire identified the injured firefighters as Corey Grant and Andrew Hoegsberg.

"The biggest thing that they told me was that they were scared," Houston Firefighter Union President Marty Lancton said. "Firefighters have emotions and feelings too, and they've got families, and this is a situation you don't expect, but the credit goes to them."

Marquez's mother and sister spoke only on ABC13 Monday afternoon and said he pointed the gun at the firefighters but added that nobody jumped from the balcony to get to safety.

Both women wished to remain unidentified, citing personal reasons.

"They ran down," Marquez's mother said. "They came down like a normal person would."

Eyewitness News asked the Houston Fire Department about the discrepancy but wouldn't give a comment.