HOUSTON – A suspected shoplifter tried to run over an officer, but instead hit a pregnant woman in a northwest Houston parking lot, officials said.
An off-duty Harris County Precinct 4 deputy said at about 2 a.m. on Saturday he spotted two shoplifters, a man and a woman, in a Walmart parking lot on Highway 290 and Tidwell.
"These suspects were bold enough to try to tell the deputy there was an accident in the parking lot to distract him, to get him to walk away from the front door. When he did that they ended up rolling out buggies of meat," said Precinct 4 Assistant Chief Mark Herman.
Officials said the deputy was quick to realize what was happening and ordered the suspects to stop. Investigators said the female suspected shoplifter complied. The other suspect ran to his car and tried to run over the officer, officials said.
"And at some point he jumped into the drivers seat and backed up attempting to strike the officer. The officer was able to get out of the way. During the course of that, the officer did discharge his weapon at the suspect," said Herman.
The officer shot at the vehicle, but the driver got away. Investigators said in the process of fleeing, the suspect's car hit a pregnant woman who was loading groceries into her car. She was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The female shoplifting suspect was arrested.