Two men are facing charges for allegedly being involved in a shootout with a Houston police officer following a chase in the northeast of the city, the HPD said
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – Two 20-year-olds have been charged with involvement in a chase that ended in a shootout with police on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Houston police, Eric Meza was charged with theft and Nathan Ybarra was charged with evading arrest in a motor vehicle.
Investigators said HPD Officer I. Sosa-Castillo was involved in a shootout with the two theft suspects along the East Freeway.
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Authorities said it all started around 12:30 p.m. with a proactive carjacking investigation near Interstate 10 and Mercury.
According to police, officers spotted Meza and Ybarra in an SUV acting suspiciously “like professionals who do this kind of thing all the time.”
Meza and Ybarra were leaving a parking lot in a stolen red Dodge truck when police attempted to stop the cars, leading to a chase.
The red truck was captured by traffic cameras weaving through traffic at a high rate of speed until the suspect abandoned it near US 59 and Eastway Village Drive.
SkyEye flew over the active scene where HPD units and the red pickup truck stopped on the service road.
Meza, who police arrested at the original crime scene, allegedly drove toward Sosa-Castillo with a shotgun, who then shot him.
“The officer fires two shots. The suspect stops right there, jumps out of the car and runs on foot,” said Megan Howard, HPD deputy chief.
Meza dodged cars and trucks as he ran across multiple lanes of I-10, through parking lots, across a ditch and into a backyard.
Police eventually found Meza under a mattress in an unused garage next door. A video provided only to ABC13 shows officers taking the shirtless suspect into custody.
Police said no one was injured during the chase or by the shooting.
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