HOUSTON — A man died Saturday after being struck by a Houston Police Department vehicle that was involved in a chase, according to authorities.
Police said they got a call just before 5 p.m. from a woman who said she was robbed at gunpoint at a business at 7510 Bellfort Avenue. She told police several young men stole her black Ford truck and her purse. A little while later, the same woman called police back and said her dealership was able to track her truck and told her it was at 3313 Tangerine Street.
Just before 5:45 p.m., HPD officers spotted the truck in the 9100 block of Scott Street. The officers turned around to stop it, but the driver took off.
According to police, there were five juveniles in the truck. When the chase came to an end, the suspects jumped out of the truck and ran on foot. Three of the five were apprehended and will be charged with aggravated assault, HPD said.
Near the end of the chase, an HPD unit lost control and left the roadway while westbound on Reed Road. A man, who was on the sidewalk, was struck and killed by the HPD unit, investigators said.
“They crashed into this dumpster area behind us, immediately exited their vehicle and ran back, told the dispatcher they’d been involved in an accident, called for an ambulance and within a minute started CPR and tried to render aid,” said HPD Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite.
Satterwhite said the victim was declared dead at 5:51 p.m.
The officers who were in the unit that left the road and struck the man had been with HPD for less than two years, officials said. They were placed on administrative leave for an unspecified period of time.
The case will likely be turned over to a grand jury to determine if any charges are warranted.