Memorial Villages police officer shoots man to death who tried to grab her gun, police say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man was shot to death after trying to grab a Memorial Villages police officer's weapon Wednesday in west Houston, officials say.

It happened on Gessner near the Katy Freeway.

Authorities told ABC13 it started around 2:45 p.m. when a call came in for a car parked in front of a mailbox in Memorial Villages.

The man, a woman, and a 9-month-old girl were inside the vehicle.

When police arrived, they say they found a large amount of mail, which was believed to be stolen, inside the car.

According to officials, as police tried to arrest the man, there was a struggle. During the struggle, the suspect broke free from police and tried to run away. He was stopped when police used a Taser on him.

The suspect was then taken to Memorial Hermann Memorial City Hospital.

Hours later, around 9:30 p.m., he was released from the hospital.

A Memorial Villages police officer handcuffed him, but as she was escorting him to her patrol car, another struggle occurred.

The man broke free from the officer and ran into the parking garage.

Police say at some point, he slipped out of one of his handcuffs, and when the officer caught up with him, another altercation took place.

"She had her firearm out. There was a constant struggle between the two of them. Her radio was tangled up with the suspect. The suspect had her radio. There was some type of struggle or pulling against each other, and at some point, he reached for her firearm, and subsequent to that, she fires what we know was at least two rounds that struck the suspect," said HPD Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite.

The suspect died from his injuries. Police say the woman who was with him during the first altercation with police had five warrants for her arrest.

According to officials, both suspects had foreign passports that may be fake. The 9-month-old girl is in CPS care.

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