Paper: Houston Chronicle

Date: Mon 05/04/2009

Section: B Page: 2 Edition: 3 STAR R.O.

AREA BRIEFS

Houston news

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Deputy kills man after chase

A sheriff's deputy shot and killed a man who allegedly led him on a short chase in northwest Harris County late Saturday night, authorities said.

Just after 10 p.m., the deputy attempted to pull over a driver speeding on Veterans Memorial near Antoine, said Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. John Legg.

After the driver refused to stop, a short chase began through a neighborhood and then back onto Veterans Memorial, Legg said. As they approached Antoine, the driver allegedly ran a red light, hitting two vehicles.

When the deputy got out of his patrol car and approached the vehicle, the two passengers in the car obeyed his commands by putting their hands in the air, Legg said. However, the driver jumped out of the car.

At that time, the deputy fired his weapon toward the man, Legg said.

"His actions gave the deputy cause for concern for his own life and safety," Legg said. "The exact details for the concern are not conclusively known, but are still under investigation."

While fleeing on foot, the man turned toward the deputy, who then fired his weapon again, Legg said.

The man then collapsed on the ground and died.

Investigators learned the deputy fired four times, but how many bullets struck the man wasn't known, Legg said. It's not known if the man had a weapon. None has been recovered.

The two passengers were taken into custody. One of them was in possession of narcotics, Legg said, adding that charges have not yet been filed.

Copyright notice: All materials in this archive are copyrighted by Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division, Hearst Newspapers Partnership, L.P., or its news and feature syndicates and wire services. No materials may be directly or indirectly published, posted to Internet and intranet distribution channels, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed in any medium. Neither these materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use.