HOUSTON – An officer shot at a suspect's vehicle when he tried to run over him outside a southeast Houston motel Friday, police said.
The officer said it started around 3:45 a.m. at a motel on Ardmore Street near Old Spanish Trail when he spotted a robbery suspect.
"He was driving through the lot, looking for the suspect," Houston Police Department spokesman Kese Smith said. "Couldn't find them. Got out of his vehicle and began searching between the parked vehicles in the parking lot."
When the officers found the man, the suspect got in a white pickup truck, and the driver drove toward the officer, investigators said.
"The driver of the truck began to accelerate toward the officer," Smith said. "The officer was standing in the middle of the street without cover. The officer, fearing for his safety, discharged his duty weapon more than once, striking the vehicle."
The truck's tires were blown out, police said.
The truck sped off, but was found a short time later in the 7300 block of Ardmore. The suspect was not inside. Police brought in K-9 units and a police helicopter, and tracked down two suspects.
No one was hurt.
Officials said one of the suspects was 17 years old. The other was in his early 20s. Both suspects were taken downtown. Charges were pending. Their names were not released.
The driver could be charged with aggravated assault of a police officer and evading arrest.
Investigators have not said what role the second suspect played in the alleged robbery.