Paper: Houston Chronicle

Date: Tue 01/01/2008

Section: B Page: 3 Edition: 3 STAR

Officer wounds suspected rapist during struggle / Suspect had been trying to flee when scuffle occurred, Houston police say

By MIKE GLENN

Staff

An off-duty Houston police officer fired his weapon and wounded a suspected rapist early Monday during a struggle at an apartment complex, authorities said.

Officer Richard Martinez, 27, was flagged down by a nude woman about 1 a.m. while he was working a part-time security job at the apartments in the 8700 block of Broadway, Houston police said.

The woman told Martinez she had been raped by a man who was with her inside a vehicle at the complex, police said

The woman then pointed at a fleeing man and said he was the attacker, police said.

Martinez, who was wearing an HPD raid jacket, identified himself and ordered the man to stop. A struggle began when the officer caught up to him in the complex. "The suspect became very violent," said HPD spokeswoman Johanna Abad.

The suspect knocked Martinez to the ground, then attempted to hit the officer with his flashlight, police said. Martinez's pistol fell out of the holster during the struggle.

"He (Martinez) felt for his gun on the ground (and) picked it up," Abad said.

Martinez fired his pistol once, striking the suspected rapist. He was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was expected to survive, said HPD spokesman John Cannon.

Police did not release the suspect's name and detectives were still waiting late Monday to question the man at the hospital, Cannon said.

Martinez was not seriously injured, police said. He is a two-year veteran assigned to HPD's southeast patrol division.

The woman who had been attacked left the area during the struggle. HPD officials said they have yet to question her about what happened.

An investigation is under way.

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