Deputy opens fire on fleeing suspect

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Cynthia Cisneros

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A deputy responding to a disturbance call in north Harris County ended up firing his own gun early this morning, and that led to a wild pursuit.

The chase started at an apartment complex on Cypress Station and ended on North Vista, where the suspect bailed out of his vehicle with two bullet wounds in his body.

It started around 1:30am when Harris County authorities say deputies received a call about a man down at an apartment complex. Deputies came out to the complex and began their search. They didn't find a man down, but what they did find was a man in a Jeep Cherokee. Authorities say that man refused to get out of the Jeep when ordered by the deputies.

The deputies tried to get the man out of the vehicle, and that's when the man allegedly backed his Jeep up, almost striking one of the deputies. The deputy then opened fire on the suspect. The man in the SUV attempted to leave again, this time moving forward and again trying to strike a deputy, say authorities.

One of the deputies then fired his weapon eight times, with at least two of those shots hitting the suspect. There was a car chase that ended a few miles away at another apartment complex.

Authorities say the man jumped out of his vehicle and ran off.

"The vehicle was still moving. He was on a foot pursuit," said Janie Wagner with the Harris County Sheriff's Office. "And as the vehicle was unoccupied, that is when it happened to hit a patrol car."

Deputies were able to capture that man, arrest him and take him into custody. He is now at Ben Taub Hospital with two bullet wounds.

Officials tell Eyewitness News that a deputy saw the suspect throwing out items as he was driving away. Authorities checked the roadway and found a bag of marijuana. Investigators are working to see if they can tie the pot found to this particular case.

 

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