HOUSTON — A man who led police on a chase that resulted in the death of a pedestrian in north Houston has been charged with murder, according to the Houston Police Department.
According to court documents, Joseph Anthony Jebbia, 43, of Magnolia, is charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and unlawful possession by a felon of metal or body armor.
A 55-year-old woman who was waiting for the bus along the North Freeway near West Road, was hit and killed by Jebbia during the chase.
According to court documents, before the chase, Jebbia was wanted on a charge of aggravated kidnapping in connection with an incident on June 22.
The chase started around 2:15 p.m. when law enforcement officials tried to apprehend Jebbia at a nearby gas station.
"A wanted career criminal's reckless actions resulted in the tragic death of a pedestrian waiting on a bus," Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Lt. Scott Spencer said. "Joseph Jebbia is a career criminal with a history of violence."
Spencer said Jebbia was wanted on an aggravated assault warrant out of Montgomery County. He said that when Jebbia saw the cops, he took off and led them on a dangerous chase.
During the chase, Jebbia ran a red light at West Road, hit another vehicle and then hit the woman at the bus stop, killing her.
Spencer said it's a reminder to hold your loved ones a little closer.
"This lady was just probably on her way home from work when this happened to her. Our hearts go out to her, her family. ... She was just trying to live her life, you know, trying to have a good life and a career criminal has disregard for everyone ... chose to take it from her in the blink of an eye. He needs to be held accountable," Spencer said.
Spencer said Jebbia kept going after hitting the woman and eventually crashed again at Millwood and Highway 249, where he was taken into custody.
According to Spencer, a loaded assault rifle, body armor and what's believed to be about a kilo of fentanyl were found in Jebbia’s car.
Here's the full update provided by Spencer around 6 p.m. Wednesday:
