HOUSTON – A missing teen girl has been recovered and a wanted man was taken into custody after an hours long SWAT standoff at a north Houston motel Friday afternoon, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Law enforcement got called to the Mustang Inn at 3800 Tidwell Road for a welfare check in the 9 a.m. hour Friday because they had information that a runaway 16-year-old girl may have been there.
They found her in a room with a 20-year-old man who had open felony warrants for aggravated assault and possession of a controlled substance, the sheriff’s office said.
He barricaded himself inside and investigators initially thought there may have been a hostage, which turned out to be false.
The SWAT team used many tools including a robot, drone, and tear gas to take the suspect into custody.
He was hiding in the motel attic, officials said, but came out when the tear gas was deployed around 4 p.m. He was then seen spitting and throwing up, before being put on a stretcher and taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
Houston Police confirmed to KPRC 2 investigators are now looking into a potential human trafficking nexus to the SWAT scene.
@HCSOSWAT is at a motel located at 3800 Tidwell. A wanted felon, believed to be at the location, is refusing to exit. #HouNews pic.twitter.com/TkmOJKrJxk
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) April 4, 2025
At the end of the standoff, a K9 officer bit a deputy in the lower leg. The deputy had to be rushed to the hospital but is expected to be ok.
The suspect’s identity has not been released.