Only on 13: Video shows moment UH rape suspect Eric Brown was spotted, arrested at METRORail

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A week after University of Houston rape suspect Eric Brown was captured next to a METRO Houston light rail stop, ABC13 has obtained the video showing the moment he was spotted by law enforcement and then taken down without incident a few minutes later.

PREVIOUS REPORT: Sexual assault suspect captured more than a week after UH student raped, police say

Metro Officers involved in the high-profile arrest spoke exclusively with ABC13.

Tension over the rape suspect had reached a fevered pitch on Feb.18, after Brown had eluded police for several days.

That morning, the Harris County District Attorney and UH Police held a joint news conference, asking for the public's help to locate Brown days after he was accidentally released due to a miscommunication between the two agencies.

Just a few hours later, as rookie Metro Officer Fabian Vega and his partner, fellow Rookie Officer Lauren Broussard, attended roll call, they were told that finding Brown was a high priority.

"Around 2:47 p.m., dispatch got on the air and was saying, 'Hey, there's a guy who matches the description of a BOLO suspect, be on the lookout suspect," Vega, who became a police officer about seven months ago, said.

"It was a little bit of adrenaline, but we're trained for this. We're ready," Broussard, who has been on the force for six months, said.

Also arriving at the scene was Offer Katrina Coleman, who had just joined Metro's officer ranks after six years working in the agency's customer service department.

"It was a lot," Officer Coleman admitted. "It was a lot going through to make sure we capture him safe and get him to where he needed to be."

Veteran Metro Officer Brandon McDonough was actually in the downtown tunnels when his partner spotted Brown via closed-circuit video feeds. She called him on the radio, and he took off running.

"To finally see that bright red jacket he was wearing? To finally see that, I was like, 'Oh yeah, that's him,'" he said.

As Metro officers responded, a UH student also spotted Brown and called 911. However, at that point, Brown was already walking across the street to the Astros parking lot on the other side of Texas Ave. Several teams of Metro officers were closing in. Video shows Brown did not put up a fight, got on the ground, and was quickly arrested.

"I'm excited we got him. It's part of the job. It's like the cloud nine experience. We got the guy," McDonough said.

Several officers credited new Police Chief Ban Tien for encouraging the officers to be on more active patrol and increase their visibility at METRO light rail stops and bus stations. Chief Tien told ABC13 he wanted the focus on the officers who executed the arrest.

Brown remains in the Harris County Jail, facing multiple charges.

For news updates, follow Miya Shay on Facebook, X and Instagram.

RELATED:

• UH sex assault suspect was released from custody before he was charged, records show


• University of Houston students protest campus safety as warrant is out for sex assault suspect


• Police report another robbery at University of Houston ahead of student protest over campus safety


• University of Houston promises safety action as students demand more


• Suspect arrested in connection with sex assault in University of Houston parking garage, police say


• Man charged with felony theft in connection to 2 scooter robberies at University of Houston campus