Innocent people injured during police chases

Officers have to balance catching a suspect with everyone's safety.

HOUSTON – At least 20 innocent people have been injured in police chases during a 14 month period ending June 30, according to Houston Police Department records reviewed by Channel 2 Investigates.

Most of the injuries were the result of car crashes resulting from felony police chases.

Houston averages slightly more than two police chases a day. There were 1,100 between May 1, 2015, and June 30.

Some chases last only a few seconds. Others last an hour or longer.

The president of the Houston Police Officers Union said chases are necessary even though they are dangerous.

"One hundred percent of the blame goes on that felon when a chase happens," said Hunt.

The Houston Police Department’s pursuit policy said officers have to balance catching the suspect with everyone's safety.

(Read: The police chase policy for the Houston Police Department.)

(View: HCSO Pursuit Policy)

Hunt said sometimes officers must back off a chase suspect.

“If I were chasing someone eastbound on Briar Forest at 2:30 on a school day and I know there is a school that lets out at 2:30, I'm going to have to evaluate that," Hunt said.

Sometimes a chase begins after a police officer witnesses a traffic violation. But sometimes that leads to something much bigger, Hunt said.

"The person fled and had a dead body in the back seat and he was trying to look for a place to dump that person," said Hunt.

HPD is testing new road spikes that pop tires on the bad guy's car. Sometimes suspects continue though even after tires are flat.

Another tool Houston Police Officers are testing decides that shoot a GPS tracker from the front of the patrol car. The decide sticks to the suspect’s car and tracks it.

Hunt said the solutions don’t eliminate the need for a chase.

"That only works if the person is in the car and we know whose car that is,” he said.

Hunt worries that if the suspect in a stolen car ditches that car without police around, officers might not catch him.

“Many of our vehicles are stolen vehicles and are fleeing because they don't want to go to jail for the stolen vehicle,” Hunt said.

Hunt wants to be able to shoot out a suspect’s tires as Texas Department of Public Safety troopers can do.

A New Year’s Eve 2015 chase through north Houston highlighted a rarely seen tactic used by state troopers. The winding chase played out on TV and ended shortly after a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper shot out the tires of an SUV, Channel 2 reported in January.

The chase started when officers tried to pull over 34 year old Brett Alan Poppenhesun, who has a lengthy criminal record. During his run from officers, Poppenhesun was seen hopping curbs, ramming three police cars and driving the wrong way down feeder roads.

(Read: DPS Chase Policy) 

Eventually a pair of state troopers got close enough to Poppenhesun for one to lean out of the passenger window of the cruiser and shoot the SUV’s tires. This tactic helped end the chase without injuries. He was charged with Driving While Intoxicated and evading police, which is a felony.

Hunt said shooting out tires is not allowed under the Houston Police Department policy.

"We had a supervisor in this department make a traffic stop. He had his gun down by his side because he couldn't see in in the vehicle it was dark. The vehicles starts to speed off. He shoots the tire. They catch him. He's in violation of the policy. You can't do that. That was the smartest thing to do," Hunt said.

Houston Police Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva said that idea has been proposed and turned down before.

Houston Police Department acting police Chief Martha Montalvo recently said she would consider new ideas if people had them. Montalvo made the comments at a press event after being asked about police chases.

"We need to keep looking at our policies and I am open to suggestions," Montalvo said.

The Dallas Police Department only chases suspects thought to have committed a violent crime.

If you have a tip about this story or another story idea for investigative reporter Jace Larson, email or text him at jlarson@kprc.com, or call 832-493-3951.