17-year-old charged with evading arrest after RodeoHouston scare
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston police arrested a teenager for evading arrest Wednesday night after reports of shots fired at The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Raymond Colbert, 17, bonded out of jail on Thursday afternoon.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Teen charged with evading arrest bonds out of jail
Eyewitness News reporter Miya Shay caught up with Colbert as he left jail in the same white shirt and pants he was seen wearing at the rodeo the night before.
"Did you fire shots at the rodeo?" Shay asked.
"No," Colbert replied as he walked quickly away from the Harris County Jail. He denied he was in a fight, and didn't want to talk because he told us he was in a "bad mood."
"He matched the description of the person who possibly fired a shot," said Houston Police Captain Dwayne Ready about Colbert's arrest. "When the officers made their approach, he ran away."
However, Colbert has not yet been officially linked to reports of shots fired on Rodeo grounds. In fact, police have not even recovered a weapon.
EYEWITNESS VIDEO: Hundreds run for cover at RodeoHouston
They did find one spent shell casing on rodeo grounds, in the northwest corner of the carnival area.
On Wednesday night, Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff's Office rushed to NRG Park to secure the scene, but initially said they found no evidence of a shooting.
The all-clear was issued around 10:40 p.m., but people on social media still say they believe a shooting occurred.
"We have no weapons or suspect in custody and nobody has been shot," HPD Captain Dwayne Ready said on Wednesday evening.
As the shelter-in-place was in effect during the night, eyewitness described the chaos that unfolded.
RAW VIDEO: Police update on the investigation at RodeoHouston
"All of a sudden we seen some juveniles running," an eyewitness told ABC13.
ABC13 digital managing editor Brittany Guarglia was inside Wednesday night's concert when the announcer broke the news over the intercom.
"There has been a situation on the ground, everyone must stay indoors right now," the announcer initially said.
"All you heard was gunshots," another eyewitness said, describing how people were shoving each other and pushing to get out of what they thought was a dangerous situation.
"Mobs of people running, I did see some people trampled," a bystander said.
The carnival remained open after the investigation, RodeoHouston officials confirmed.
No injuries were reported.
Larry Cephus said he was with his family at the rodeo when he said he heard the gunshots.
"I know specifically what gunshots sound like. I know it wasn't a balloon popping. I know it wasn't a loud noise from the fair or the equipment. It's very hard to mistake a gunshot for a balloon," Cephus said.
Cephus, his wife and two daughters were near one of the carnival rides when he noticed a group of about 15 teens surrounded a group of four boys. He said it looked like they were about to fight, so he got his family away from the area. As they were leaving, he overheard some girls talking about someone who may have had a gun.
"Two females said 'that dude in the green had a gun,'" Cephus said.
Seconds later, Cephus said he heard the shots and he and his family hid behind a ride. He said he heard two more shots.
He saw teens run from the area where he heard shots and he said he noticed they were displaying gang signs.
"We couldn't sleep last night, and we kept thinking about it," Cephus' young daughter said.
Cephus said he and his family do not plan on going back to the rodeo.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo issued this statement overnight:
The safety of our Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo guests is always our highest priority.
Show security is staffed by officers from the Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff's Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. HPD has investigated the incident reported at NRG Park Wednesday night and has stated that they have found no weapons, have no suspect is in custody, and there are no reported injuries. As a precaution, Show officials instructed people to shelter in place for a short time until officers determined that conditions were safe.
We will continue working closely with HPD, HCSO and Texas DPS to monitor the situation.
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