HPD: Smoke shop owners chase, shoot attempted robbery suspect in west Houston

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A suspect was shot early this morning after an attempted break-in at a smoke shop in west Houston.

Police were called to the 12600 block of Westheimer at Dairy Ashford around 4:30am.

Police say the owner of the smoke shop and his brother were in the back room of Smoke 24/7 doing inventory when they heard a disturbance in the front of the business and eventually came out with their gun and fired at the man.

They fired seven times at the break-in suspect, hitting him once in the leg, according to police.

A witness tells Eyewitness News it all poured out into the street. Witness Victor Ortiz says he saw a man running across the crosswalk being chased by two other men. One of the men had a gun and was firing at the man fleeing the smoke shop. Ortiz tells us the men caught up with the alleged robbery suspect outside of a check cashing business across the street and started beating him up.

Ortiz said, "You hear the gunshots and they were just chasing him. They chased him right here behind the McDonald's...and they started to beat him up."

Police say the men held the suspect down until law enforcement could arrive minutes later.

The man who was shot is in the hospital. His condition is unknown at this time.

The investigation is ongoing.