Newly released video shows the moment a Houston police officer shot a driver who tried to run him over outside the Galleria.
It happened May 25 near the Grand Lux Café on Westheimer Road. Police say officers working extra security jobs were alerted to a car suspected of being connected to a recent jugging incident.
When officers tried to stop the driver, identified as 42-year-old Maxie Ray Whitaker, he refused to pull over and drove into oncoming traffic.
OUR FIRST REPORT: Man shot after trying to run over officer in front of The Galleria on Westheimer Road, HPD says
As traffic came to a stop, officers attempted to remove him from the car, but he hit another vehicle, pinning an HPD sergeant inside his own driver’s side door.
Bodycam video shows the officer pinned and firing his weapon as Whitaker reportedly struck a second vehicle, further trapping the officer. Whitaker was shot multiple times, then drove over the median and came to a stop across the road.
He was taken to the hospital in critical condition. The officer, Sergeant R. Marquez, was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Whitaker was originally charged with aggravated assault of a peace officer, but on Tuesday, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office dismissed that charge. Officials said they plan to file charges against Whitaker in a separate case at a later date.
As with all officer-involved shootings within Houston city limits, an internal investigation by HPD is ongoing.
