HOUSTON — A driver was killed early Wednesday in a shootout during a standoff near the Southwest Freeway and Highway 90, according to the Houston Police Department.
The incident started just after 10 p.m. Tuesday when HPD officers said they saw an assault weapon, pistol and drugs inside a parked vehicle at a Valero gas station on Synott Road near Ashford Point Drive on the west side.
"It's not normal to have two guns left in plain view with narcotics," Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said.
The officers set up surveillance and said they saw a man drive away in the car at 1:15 a.m. Soon after, HPD officers said they tried to pull him over, but he refused to stop and led them on a high-speed chase.
"You want to stop that suspect and find out what's going on," Finner said.
Part of the chase was caught on video as the driver involved sped past cameras at Dairy Ashford and Bellaire around 2 a.m. with HPD units following.
The chase ended 20 minutes later on the Southwest Freeway feeder road at Highway 90 in Sugar Land. That's when the man barricaded himself inside the car and opened fire on officers, police said.
Finner said that's when seven HPD officers shot back and killed the 27-year-old gunman.
“During the course of this incident, the suspect was on the phone with his family members,” Finner said.
Finner said the gunman was a 27-year-old man. His identity has not been released.
"A number of officers were involved -- no officers are hurt," Finner said.
The standoff ended at about 3:30 a.m. Video from the scene showed the front of the man's vehicle riddled with bullet holes.
Seven HPD police officers were involved in the shootout:
- Three were assigned to HPD's gang unit, one with 24 years of service and two with eight years of service
- Two were assigned to the Westside Patrol Division, one with three years of service and the other with four years of service
- Two were assigned to the South Gessner Division, both with five years of service
Per HPD policy, the officers were placed on administrative leave while the investigation into the shooting took place.
The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety are taking over the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
Watch HPD Chief Troy Finner's full update below: