Police shoot armed carjacking suspect after chase in southwest Houston, HPD says
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston police shot a suspect after a carjacking and chase on the southwest side, HPD said in an update Friday morning.
According to authorities, it all began at about 6:50 a.m., when the suspect carjacked a man at an apartment complex in the 2700 block of Woodland Park and took off.
By about 7:20 a.m., officers found the stolen vehicle behind PlazAmericas, formerly known as Sharpstown Mall.
Police started to follow the vehicle on Bellaire Boulevard to stop him, but he refused, sparking a chase in the 8400 block.
During the pursuit, the suspect hit another driver who wasn't involved, and crashed.
It was around that time that SkyEye saw what appeared to be the end of the chase, with a vehicle with front tire damage up against the median.
After the crash, the suspect got out of the stolen vehicle and ran away, heading toward a nearby apartment complex.
When he made it to a gate that he couldn't get through, police gave the suspect orders to surrender.
When he didn't comply, they used a Taser on him, HPD said, adding that it wasn't effective.
The suspect then ran around to the front of the apartment building and into the courtyard, where he pulled out a gun, said HPD Asst. Chief Kevin Deese.
One officer fired a gun once.
Police said the suspect went up a flight of stairs, where an officer fired, hitting him in the lower leg/ankle area.
ABC13's Courtney Fischer pressed police on if the suspect pointed his weapon at them.
Police later shared a photo of the three guns they said the suspect had in his possession at the time of the shooting.
"And did he point a gun at officers? What was the situation?" Courtney asked.
"I'll tell you this because I say it all the time: we're in the very early stages of our investigation, and in the spirit of transparency, we want to give out as much information as we can. The situation is still evolving, we're still collecting evidence. We still have a process of getting official statements, so I'm comfortable at this time telling you he produced a gun, which put our officers in fear of their lives," Deese said.
"But we don't know yet if he pointed it or not, they just saw him produce a gun?" Courtney asked.
"Again, I'll leave my comment there that he produced a gun," Deese said.
The suspect had minor injuries. He went to the hospital and is expected to survive.
No members of law enforcement were hurt, but the two officers involved will be placed on administrative leave, as is the policy.
HPD plans to release the bodycam video in the next 30 days, also part of policy, Deese said.
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