MANVEL, TX – Houston police are searching for a thief who tried to steal a bike from the home of an HPD officer.
Police said the officer, who lives in Manvel, was working on a surveillance system when he noticed a person walking up to his porch around 10 p.m. Tuesday.
The man grabbed a bike, but dropped it about 100 yards later, after the homeowner started chasing after him.
The officer told investigators he believed the thief had a gun and so he opened fire, shooting in the man's direction nearly one dozen times.
Officers with several departments, including: the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office, the Alvin Police Department, the Manvel Police Department, and the Houston Police Department, along with HPD's K-9 unit and a helicopter spent several hours searching for the thief.
Officers briefly followed what they believed was a trail of blood, but the trail turned out to be a dead end. Police said it was actually either paint or dried tomato juice.
Officers said they would resume their search Wednesday morning.