Local Houston, Texas news stations are reporting on the tragic death of a pedestrian at the hands of local police. And it all started off with a carjacking.
Around 5 five pm on December 4th, police received a call that a Black Ford pickup had been stolen by what was described as “ several young men”. They would later be identified as teenagers. Holding a woman at gunpoint, the teens stole both her purse and pickup.
Local ABC affiliate ABC13 spoke with the woman:
ABC13 spoke with the woman carjacked at gunpoint, but she asked to remain anonymous. She said she had put her groceries in the car and was sitting in the driver’s seat with the door open when a group of young teenagers ran toward her.
The victim also said one of the young men pointed a gun at her thighs. She doesn’t speak English, so she couldn’t understand what they wanted. She gave them her phone and her wallet, but they started tugging on her keys. She got out of the vehicle, and they took off in her pick-up truck.
Unbeknownst to the idiots in the truck, there was a vehicle tracking system installed. Police were quickly able to determine where the truck was, but the driver sped off when they attempted to make a stop. The police elected to engage in a chase. The police say a 25-year-old officer was engaged in the chase when he hit 62-year old Michael Wayne Jackson who died after officers rendered aid at the scene.
However, an ABC13 story said that the officer who struck the pedestrian was not involved in the initial chase, but was speeding to join the chase when he left the road, hit the pedestrian and continued into a parking lot and struck a dumpster.
ABC13 obtained exclusive surveillance footage of the pursuit and crash. An HPD patrol car is seen chasing the stolen black pickup truck. Several minutes later, the other patrol car attempting to assist is seen crashing. The patrol car, going at a high rate of speed, crashes into a fence. The two officers are then seen running out toward the pedestrian.
We’ve reached out for clarification there and will update this story when we hear back. In the meantime, if anyone in Houston has the surveillance footage described above, please let us know.
Police arrested three of the five suspects. Two are still at large.