A man was arrested at a Pearland apartment complex after a violent, multi-hour standoff that warranted authorities from multiple departments.
Officers with Pearland Police Department responded to a call at a complex located at 2701 Old Alvin Rd. at around 8:45 a.m. Sunday morning.
The caller was a resident who reported seeing bullet holes in the door of a neighboring unit. When authorities arrived, they observed that the holes appeared to be coming from inside the apartment.
A team of police officers attempted to confront the person in the unit, and multiple shots rang out at the officers from inside. They eventually retreated and called in SWAT officials. HPD choppers were also called.
KPRC 2′s Corley Peel spoke with Stephanie and Ty Womack, a mother and son who witnessed the shooting.
“It’s kind of scary knowing that it could have ricocheted and hit us,” Stephanie Womack said.
The man barricaded himself inside for around three hours, before he finally surrendered to authorities. The suspect was later identified as 43-year-old Jorge Pineda.
Ty Womack said that he saw the moment that Pineda finally walked out with his hands up.
“[This incident was] a weird way to wake up to morning,” he said. “But also, pretty cool to see that. Cops have everything under control, no matter how bad it was.”
Pineda was charged with four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a public servant.
No injuries were reported from the gunfire, but an officer’s ballistic shield appeared to have been struck by a bullet.
“It’s very fortunate that no officers were hurt, and that shield did what it was intended to do,” Chad Rogers, a source with PPD said.