Suspect who stole HISD police officer's gun charged

HOUSTON – Authorities said the suspect who stole an HISD police officer's gun during a traffic stop has been charged.

Cesar Chavez High School students were alerted over the loud speaker that a man had stolen an officer's gun across the street from their school on October 2.

"That just reminded me of the school shooting that happened a little time ago, it kind of makes us think that this could happen to our school. So some of the teachers locked their doors, and covered up the windows, and we stayed away from the window, just to be safe," said Laronda George, a Cesar Chavez High School student.

According to HISD, at around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, one of their patrol officers was conducting a traffic stop about two blocks from Chavez High School, in the 8500 block of Howard. You can see what appears to be marijuana on the ground where the traffic stop took place.

Officials say some type of altercation occurred and the suspect somehow managed to take the officer's handgun in the scuffle.

The officer tried removing the ammunition clip but it fell into the suspect's vehicle. The suspect, later identified a 18-year-old Eduardo Morales, escaped in a Mercury Marquis.

A man who saw the entire thing happen, captured it on his cell phone. In the video, the officer has his head and arms in the suspect's vehicle, and then all of a sudden you can see the Morales reverse and take off.

A few hours later, the Morales' cousins, brought him to the police station to turn himself in. Police say the suspect dropped out of school at Chavez and was attending Houston Can Academy.

The gun was recovered. 

Morales is charged with aggravated assault against a public servant and taking a weapon from a peace officer. He's being held on $60,000 bond.