FORT BEND, Texas — Two suspects were killed and two others were arrested following a robbery investigation that led to a chase and shootout in Cinco Ranch overnight, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
DPS Troopers opened fire on the suspects, who are believed to be responsible for at least eight "violent" robberies over the last couple weeks in Fort Bend and Harris counties.
Investigators said those robberies happened at pharmacies across an area that stretched from Katy to Cypress and Spring. They said the suspects were after cash -- not drugs -- and the similar layout of the stores made it easy to carry out the robberies quickly.
Officials said that task force had been gathering intelligence on the crew for two weeks and had recently gotten information on their vehicle.
Houston Police are also speaking with investigators to see if the same suspects could be linked to robberies in the city.
Deputies said the latest robbery happened at the Walgreens on Westheimer Parkway and South Mason Road just before 11 p.m. Tuesday.
The Joint Gang Task Force with DPS was conducting surveillance on the suspects' white pickup and responded to the robbery. The alleged robbers took off, with the chase ending in gunfire not far away on Westheimer Parkway.
During the short chase, deputies say the suspects opened fire at law enforcement officers.
Deputies say one suspect died at the scene, and a second suspect died at the hospital. Two other suspects were taken into custody.
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, only DPS troopers fired shots.
A DPS Trooper suffered a minor knee injury from broke glass during the incident and should be OK.
“It’s an unfortunate situation for both parties," Sgt. Stephen Woodard, with DPS, said.
The suspects are believed to be in their early 20s.
“Somebody has lost a child and we want to keep that in mind," Woodard added.
The end of the chase and shooting happened in Fort Bend County. Texas Rangers are conducting the shooting investigation. As of late Monday, Sgt. Woodard said DPS is not releasing any surveillance video nor suspect names until an autopsy report wraps up.
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