HOUSTON – A carjacker is dead following a foot chase in east Harris County, deputies said. Deputies said the man was beating a K-9 officer when a deputy fired the fatal shot.
According to authorities, the carjacking happened around 10:45 p.m. Sunday on South Pacific Street near Jackstone Drive.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said a group of carjackers beat and shot at a man before taking his vehicle by force.
The victim was not seriously injured, and the carjackers took off with his vehicle, Gonzalez said.
Shortly after the carjacking, a K-9 deputy spotted a car that matched the description of the stolen vehicle near Woodford Drive and Overbluff Street, deputies said.
When he approached the vehicle, four men inside the car took off on foot, authorities said. The K-9 officer was released and caught up to one of the carjackers, who started to beat the K-9 with a pistol, Gonzalez said.
At that point, authorities said a deputy fired at least one shot, striking the carjacker. Paramedics were called to the scene, but the carjacker - believed to be in his late teens or early 20s - was pronounced dead, deputies said.
“(He) began striking the K-9 with a pistol, brandishing the weapon at that point," Gonzalez said. "We don’t know if there was gunfire exchanged, but our deputy did fire at least a shot striking the individual and he was pronounced deceased.”
Authorities were able to recover a pistol and take a second man into custody, Gonzalez said. Two other men remain at large, authorities said.
Gonzalez said they are working to keep the community safe.
“This area has seen an uptick in crime," Gonzalez said. "We’re putting additional resources out here to keep the community safe."
The deputy and the K-9 were not seriously injured during the incident.