HOUSTON — A 16-year-old was shot in the chest while defending his mother during a carjacking Tuesday night, Deer Park police said.
The suspect then led police on an hour-long chase through Houston.
It started around 9 p.m. in a parking lot on Spencer Highway near Luella Boulevard where the victim and his mother work.
Deer Park police say they were ambushed by a gunman who demanded they give him the car and then shot the teen.
Riley Gingrich was clocking out from Jimmy John's when he heard the gunshot.
“And then next thing I know I heard a pop and I was like, 'Uh oh,'" Gingrich told us.
He said he helped the victim as the suspect sped off in his mother's car.
“I see that he’s just bleeding down like this, and he pulls up his shirt and I see there’s a hole in his chest," Gingrich said. "So I lock it in, took my shirt off, had him down trying to apply pressure while I talk to the 911 operator."
Police also provided first aid to the teen until EMS arrived and he was flown to an area hospital in critical condition.
Help for the family: A GoFundMe has been set up for the family to cover medical expenses.
“I went home thinking, “Man, that could have been me," Gingrich said.
Meanwhile, Houston police used license plate readers to track the stolen car to the South Loop. They said the suspect led them on an hour-long chase, going the wrong way at times. He lost control of the car on Creekbend Drive in southwest Houston and crashed into two cars in a driveway.
Matthew Hubbard, 28, was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery and aggravated assault. More charges are possible.
"He’s going to have a whole lot of charges – this is a bad guy," an HPD lieutenant said at the scene.
Deer Park police say Hubbard could be linked to other crimes in the area.
We spoke with the shooting victim's family and they said he's upbeat despite a very serious injury.