HOUSTON – A police chase involving a box truck ended in a crash, gunfire, and the driver’s arrest in west Houston.
The incident began around 4:10 p.m. Thursday when a Harris County Pct. 5 deputy tried to stop a box truck near Brittmore and the Katy Freeway.
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According to Lt. Larry Crowson with the Houston Police Department, the deputy had been alerted by a license plate camera that the box truck had been habitually using the toll road without paying.
When the deputy stopped the vehicle and checked the driver’s ID, it was found the suspect had multiple felony warrants. The deputy went back to detain the driver of the box truck, but the driver took off and initiated a pursuit.
The chase ended when the box truck crashed into an apartment complex on Trail Hollow Drive near Memorial. Our Sky 2 Chopper was over the scene of the collision.
During the pursuit, the box truck collided with several patrol cars.
“He put the box truck in reverse and started ramming the deputies vehicles, the deputy got out of the car and his car was almost pushed over him, he fired several shots at the truck. One of the other deputies was also injured when his truck was pushed into him,” Crowson said.
The suspect was not hit by gunfire.
A witness said he heard five gunshots as the box truck was ramming the deputy’s vehicle.
“He then backed in, hit another cop car, then drove through the carport, through the fence, through the trash cans, ended up realizing that he got stuck in a walkway that even a vehicle can’t get through,” said Roy Gonzales.
After the crash, the driver ran on foot through the apartment complex where he entered a tenant’s unit. The tenant came out and alerted law enforcement that someone was inside his apartment.
“He had actually taken a knife out of the kitchen of the complainant and cut his wrist,” Crowson said.
The suspect was taken to a hospital. Three deputies were also taken to the hospital with minor injuries from being knocked around when the box truck collided with the vehicles.
No other passengers were inside the box truck.
Crowson says the suspect has an extensive criminal history and had at least two felony warrants.
Investigators continue reviewing evidence to determine the full sequence of events. The Houston Police Department’s homicide division is also investigating the deputy-involved shooting.