Paper: Houston Chronicle

Date: Wed 03/05/2008

Section: B Page: 9 Edition: 3 STAR R.O.

Man shot after high-speed chase / Authorities say suspect, who is in critical condition, tried to run down deputies, officers

By MIKE GLENN

Staff

A man was shot several times Tuesday when authorities said he tried to run down officials after a high-speed chase.

The man, 42, was taken by Life Flight helicopter in critical condition to Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Authorities have not released his name.

The chase began with a traffic violation in the Montrose area and ended about 30 minutes later in northwest Harris County.

A Houston Police Department officer in an unmarked car was at Gillette and West Dallas about 10:30 a.m. when a blue Chevrolet pickup drove through the red light at 70 to 80 mph, officials said.

The truck nearly hit the officer, who called for HPD patrol cars to stop the driver.

"The suspect went into the oncoming lanes to get away," said Capt. John Martin, with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

The pursuit continued on the North Freeway, then moved onto the North Loop.

Waiting game

Harris County Sheriff's deputies joined after the truck took the northbound Northwest Freeway and left the city limits, officials said.

"We had units ahead of the pursuit," Martin said. "They were basically waiting on (it) to catch up to them."

The speeding pickup sideswiped a vehicle on U.S. 290 near Huffmeister. No injuries were reported from that accident, officials said.

The truck's driver veered off the freeway onto the exit at Mueschke.

He took the U-turn lane and then drove over a curb, nearly striking the concrete pillars supporting the overpass, officials said.

He apparently lost control of the pickup when he began heading southward along the feeder road.

"He went up on a curb there and took out a yield sign," Martin said.

Several officers and deputies then got out of their cars and began telling the man to stop.

One of the deputies "saw the suspect accelerate in the general direction of the other officers," Martin said.

At least two Harris County Sheriff's deputies and four HPD officers then began firing at the man, striking him several times, Martin said.

Driver had prior arrests

The truck lurched forward and drove across the feeder lane into a grove of trees on the side of the road, where the pursuit ended.

The driver had prior arrests for narcotics possession and evading arrest, among other charges.

The Harris County Sheriff's Department is the lead agency in the investigation because the shooting happened in its jurisdiction.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office is also investigating.

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