Chase suspect manages to elude police despite massive search

A chase suspect is still on the loose after escaping from West University police.

  WEST UNIVERSITY, TX (KTRK) -- A massive overnight police search in Bellaire started with a traffic stop in West University Place.

Police dogs went door-to-door in neighborhoods around Newcastle and Larch, looking for a driver who bailed out and ran away.

West University police pursued the driver from the original traffic stop to where he bailed out of his car on Bissonnet and Avenue B. He then hopped a fence near Newcastle.

Despite that yard-to-yard search, the suspect was not found before a downpour of rain forced officers to cancel the search after only an hour.
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Police find two-year-old Alizae Mata, cancel Amber Alert

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police say a young girl who allegedly was kidnapped by a family friend was found unharmed late last night in southeast Houston.

Houston police say they located Alizae Mata around 11:30pm after they tracked her alleged abductor, 22-year-old Jessenia Saldana, to an apartment complex in the 8400 block of Broadway.

Alizae and Saldana had been missing since they left to run errands Wednesday afternoon. According to police, the little girl was allowed to go with Saldana, but then the two never returned.

Police say Saldana called the girl's mother, Crystal Mata, Thursday evening and told her she would drop Alizae off at Memorial Hermann Hospital. The mother rushed up to the hospital, but the pair was not there.

As a result, the Houston Police Department issued the Amber Alert, and Alizae's mother was left pleading for help.

"I think she was here. I just don't know where. I don't know where. And this part is scaring me, I don't know where my baby is. I don't know who she's with anymore. Please, I'm scared for my baby's life. She's only two," Crystal Mata told Eyewitness News shortly before the alert was canceled.

The mother and daughter were reunited last night. Police say the child appears to be OK, but investigators recommend she gets checked out fo a doctor.

Saldana was arrested at the scene and now faces a charge of kidnapping.
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Police: Fight over dog in NW Houston turns deadly

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A deadly fight between roommates all started over a dog, and officials say the shooting may have been self-defense. The fatal encounter happened at an apartment complex off Hollister in northwest Houston late Wednesday night.

A 21-year-old man had lived at the apartment for a while but he took in a roommate a few months back. But on Wednesday night there was a fight centered around a dog named Bear and it ended in death.

HPD Homicide Officer Brian Evans said, "When the secondary roommate was apparently attempting to choke a dog that was inside the apartment belonging to the primary lease holder, that individual then turned his attention from he dog to the lease holder and they became involved in a physical altercation."

Not long after that a gun was fired. The roommate who had choked the dog was shot. A neighbor heard the commotion.

"I looked over by the window and then I see the guy screaming and he says it hurts," recalled Ingrid. "But I didn't hear the gunshot, just the guy screaming."

The man police have identified as Brian Harper later died at a nearby hospital. Both roommates were 21 years old, and were often seen taking the dog outside. They were described as quiet and pleasant. One neighbor says one of the men was involved with an area church.

"He told me he was a youth pastor and he loved his job and he loved doing what he was doing," said neighbor Harold Davis. "He talked about the kids at the church all the time."

The roommate who shot his friend was questioned by police but he was not arrested and he is not charged. Police say it may be a case of self-defense.

"All of the evidence that we have on that scene appears that may be the case," said Officer Evans. "We don't have anything to indicate it was a struggle over than a self-defense type situation."

Because of that, police say the case will be presented to a grand jury which will decide whether charges are merited or not. The name of the tenant who shot Harper, according to police, is not being released because he has not been charged with a crime.

The dog was taken into the custody of animal control, which is seeking to return it to its owner.
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Police: Pearland 11-year-old threatened to bring gun to school

SkyEye 13 HD was over the scene at Rogers Middle School in Pearland where police say an 11-year-old threatened to bring a gun to school.

  PEARLAND, TX (KTRK) -- A Pearland middle school student is facing charges for allegedly threatening to bring a gun to school.

Pearland police say on Wednesday evening, they received a report that a Rogers Middle School student had threatened to bring a gun to school Thursday. According to the person who made the report, the student made the threat because he had a 'bad day' on Wednesday.

Police interviewed other witnesses and then contacted the Brazoria County District Attorney's Office. Charges of 'Terroristic Threat' were filed against the suspect.

The 11-year-old was not allowed to attend school Thursday. He was detained by police and taken to the Brazoria County Juvenile Detention Facility in Angleton.
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Murder suspect fires at HPD, leads police on chase

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A man accused of murdering a woman and then shooting at a Houston police officer was arrested Sunday morning after leading police on a chase.

It all started around 7:15am at a Connie Leatrice Bowie's home in the 4100 block of Brisbane near Roandale.

Investigators were called there for an assult in progress. According to police, there was a domestic dispute between the homeowner and the 43-year-old suspect, Herbert G. Gardner.

When the first officer arrived at the scene, Gardner reportedly sprayed the officer's cruiser with a shotgun. The officer was not hit and Gardner fled in a red Dodge Nitro.

Police say they found Bowie's body in her home on Brisbane. The 39-year-old was shot to death.

Officers chased Gardner for about 20 minutes, exchanging gunfire, but no one was hit. The man eventually stopped at a home in the 5300 block of Glen Rio where he pointed a gun at officers again before he was subdued and arrested.

He was taken to an area hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Police said Gardner once dated Bowie and lived at the home on Brisbane with her, but he had recently moved out and they were arguing.

Police expect Gardner to face charges of murder, attempted capital murder of a police officer and possibly aggravated assault of a police officer.

Please stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for updates as we continue following this story.

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HISD police arrest student with gun at Sterling High School

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A 14-year-old male student was arrested Wednesday after being found in possession of a loaded handgun at Sterling High School.

The arrest was made at 10:48am, roughly 10 minutes after campus-based Houston Independent School District police officers received a tip from the Houston Police Department that the student may have a gun.

Houston police were investigating an allegation that the student used the weapon to threaten an individual off campus on Tuesday afternoon. The HISD police officers took the student into custody without incident and confiscated the weapon after searching him.

The student told HISD police he was carrying the weapon to protect himself from gang members in the neighborhood surrounding the school.

Sterling High School parents are being informed about the incident by phone today, officials say, but we spoke with at least one mother at the school who hadn't heard.

"I'm a little upset because I haven't gotten a call or anything as yet," she said. "Now that I'm here, I'm hearing all this."

"This is my fourth year here, I'm a senior. Nothing like this ever happened before," a student told Eyewitness News.

The student is a juvenile and his name is not being released. Appropriate disciplinary action is being taken, and the incident has been referred to the Harris County District Attorney's Office for criminal prosecution.

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Police investigating fatal shooting near TSU campus

Police investigate a fatal shooting at an apartment complex near the campus of TSU.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- An intruder was fatally shot by an apartment complex resident near the Texas Southern University campus last night, say police.

It happened around 8:30pm on Wentworth and Ennis in Houston's Third Ward. Police say a man, who is a TSU student, was in an apartment complex with his girlfriend and two-year-old child when he heard a loud noise outside.

When he went to check it out, an armed man forced his way into the apartment.

"They heard a loud commotion from the back of the apartment,' said Officer Christopher Hassig with the Houston Police Department. "He wasn't entirely certain if it was a window or a door. He went to investigate and the suspect pushed his way in."

The resident shot and killed the intruder. Police say it does not appear the two knew each other.

The resident was taken downtown to be questioned. It's unclear at this time if he will be charged.

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Police: Wrong-way driver reaches 120 mph on Westpark

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A chase in southwest Houston ended in a crash last night.

Police tell us they were trying to pull over the driver of a Subaru for a traffic stop when he took off. Officers say he went the wrong way on Westpark and reached speeds of at least 120 miles per hour.

He finally lost control of the vehicle and crashed near Westpark and Fondren. The driver got out and ran but was captured a short time later.

Police say he's facing charges of DWI, drug possession and felony evading.

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Police: Man carjacked, forced to drive gunman

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The search is still on this morning for a man who carjacked a driver and forced him to drive at gunpoint.

This happened around 1am at a gas station on Eldridge near Bellaire. The victim then crashed the car a short time later on Belknap near Old Richmond.

The victim, a man in his 20s, was on his way to work, but stopped to put air in the tires of his Infiniti. The victim told Eyewitness News a man with a gun approached him at the gas station, took his wallet and then forced him to get back in his car and drive them both.

The victim said during the drive, the gunman fired two shots in the car, but didn't hit him. The victim then says he crashed his car into a dirt mound at a construction site. That's where both men jumped out and the suspect ran off. The victim called 9-1-1.

He was not injured. If you have any info on suspect, you're being asked to call authorities.

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Police: Pedestrian hit by multiple vehicles on SW Fwy

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police are trying to figure out what led to a deadly hit-and-run crash on the Southwest Freeway this morning.

It happened around 3am on Highway 59 near the West Loop exit.

Investigators said the victim was a pedestrian who was run over several times by different vehicles.

None of the drivers stopped, officials said.

The victim's identity was not released.

The accident blocked the freeway for more than an hour.

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Police: Man pushed two women from moving car on Katy Freeway

  Pooja LodhiaHOUSTON (KTRK) -- The manhunt is on for the person who pushed two women from a moving car, killing one of them and seriously injuring the other. The circumstances leading to the brutal attacks remain unknown.

The first woman was found along the Katy Freeway at Westgreen. The body of the second woman was found near Grand Parkway. Officers found the suspect's abandoned car further down the road in Brookshire, but they're still looking for the man witnesses say was going more than 100 miles per hour when he shoved the two women out of his car.

It happened last night on the Katy Freeway. According to police, the man shot one of his female passengers and pushed her out onto the road at the Katy Freeway and Westgreen. That woman is at Memorial Hermann Hospital, but there has been no update on her condition.

Police say the man kept driving and pushed the second woman out of the vehicle at the Katy Freeway and the Grand Parkway. Her body was so mangled when police arrived they couldn't tell if she had been shot before she was pushed out.

Witnesses tell us the suspect sped off.

"This guy flew past us, probably 100, 105 miles per hour at least. I saw him hit the side of this 18-wheeler that's on the side in front of us and skidded off the road and ended up in the ditch right here and the guy that was driving it got out and started running," said witness Daniel Bachrach.

Another witness, Jose Pedraza, told us, "The car was all shattered and there seemed to be blood on the seats."

The investigation continues. Houston police have not identified the suspect or the victims.

The Katy Freeway westbound lanes at Highway 99 were closed down for hours overnight due to the investigation. They reopened around 5:30am.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest on this story.

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Police: Bus driver charged after leaving boy on bus

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A bus driver is facing a felony after police say she failed to check her bus for students and subsequently left a 9-year-old boy who had fallen asleep alone on the bus in a northwest Houston parking lot.

Nine-year-old Theo Jones says he's doing just fine now, and he's even back in school. We got a chance to talk to the boy about what happened Wednesday.

Theo says he was scared when he realized he was all alone on his school bus. No students, no bus driver.

"I woke up and there was nobody on the bus. I sat there for a minute and I got off the bus," Theo said.

According to police, it was during the morning bus route Wednesday when Theo fell asleep. The driver then finished her route, returned to the bus lot, parked and left.

Police say around 12:30pm is when Theo woke up and got off the bus, only to be met by a pit bull living behind the gate where the buses are parked.

"The dog was chasing after me and it jumped on me," Theo said.

Mary Martin says her husband heard the boy screaming for help and ran over. She says he was able to help the boy over the fence.

"They threw food at the dog and got the dog's attention while Albert, my husband, put his hands on the gate so the little boy could get on his hands and he could pull him over the gate."

Theo's mother, Meagan Jones, says she was at work when she got the phone call explaining what had happened.

"I was angry at first. I'm relieved that he is OK," she said.

The bus driver, Simona Alcaide, was arrested and charged with endangering a child, a felony charge. According to charging documents, Alcaide failed to check the bus for students before locking the bus and leaving the area.

"It's 30 seconds to check a bus, to walk it before you park it," Meagan Jones said.

HISD says the bus and driver are not employed by the district. Because Theo lives within a two-mile radius of the school, parents pay for a private bus company.

According to neighbors, that pit bull does live behind these gates and was not on the loose. Theo was taken to the hospital to be checked out after this incident. Again, he is OK.

Alcaide's bond has been set at $5,000.

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Police release sketch of suspect in sex assault case after woman was attacked

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Two men wanted for a sexual assault remain on the run. Police are hoping newly released video of the getaway car and a sketch of one of the suspects can help track them down.

Police say these men are dangerous. They are accused of picking up a woman, sexually assaulting her and then threatening to kill her.

Police have released a sketch of one of the two men they say attacked a woman in a car back on September 23. Surveillance video captured the suspects standing outside of that car during that attack.

Police say earlier that night the 27-year-old woman was walking along a street in north Houston. She had been crying after a fight with her boss when investigators say the men pulled up in a dark-colored sedan and asked her if she wanted a ride. Authorities say the woman got into the car and asked to be dropped off at a downtown bus stop.

But investigators say one of the men began assaulting her in the back seat before the driver pulled over behind a warehouse in the 2100 block of Harrington and police say he assaulted the victim as well.

"We haven't found any related cases with these suspects, but it is a possibility that if they did it to this victim, they'll go out and do it again," said HPD Investigator Jennifer Kennedy. "It was an easy target. They took advantage."

The suspects are described as two Hispanic males. One suspect is in his early 40s, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and a medium build. He has dark brown hair, slicked back and tucked behind the ears, brown eyes and black ink tattoos on both arms. He also has one tattoo around one wrist.

The other suspect is in his 30s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and heavy-set. He has a bald head, dark-rimmed glasses, brown eyes and a tattoo on his upper right arm. He also has a tattoo across his chest, with a curved shaped in Olde English writing.

Surveillance video of both suspects and their vehicle, a dark colored, four-door, possibly 1997 Ford Taurus station wagon, can be viewed here.

Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Special Crimes Division at 713-308-1100 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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Police identify teen killed in deadly shooting in southeast Houston

  crystal KobzaHOUSTON (KTRK) -- A fifteen-year-old was gunned down during a neighborhood game of basketball in southeast Houston Friday night. And now, Houston police have more details about what may have led to the shooting, but say questions still remain.

It happened inside the park at an apartment complex on Sabo near Almeda. Police say there was a fight between two people at the time of the shooting, but they are still investigating whether the teen who was shot was involved in that fight.

Police have identified the victim as 15-year-old Thomas Williams, Jr. On Saturday, a small memorial was put up where Williams lost his life.

Witnesses with whom we spoke Saturday afternoon say they heard at least six gunshots. One witness tells us he heard the first five gunshot and then saw the suspect jump on Williams and shoot him a sixth time.

He tells us he just moved into the apartment complex, but after witnessing this shooting, he is considering moving for the safety of this family.

"My entire life, I have never seen something like that happen," said resident Juan Garcia. "To me, they are just kids. There are kids playing. There is a playground here and they just come and hang out here."

According to police, they are still looking for the suspect who shot and killed Williams. Last night at the time of shooting, there were numerous eyewitnesses, many of them also teens who were gathered back at the complex Saturday.

If you have any information on who the suspect involved in this shooting is, you are urged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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Police: Man arrested for public intoxication has to have head held for mug shot

  HUMBLE (KTRK) -- We don't usually run minor arrests, but we just couldn't pass up the group effort to get one Humble man's mug shot.

The photo above is of 35-year-old Sean Payne. Humble police arrested him outside Shamrock's bar early Thursday morning, but he was allegedly so drunk he couldn't hold his head up for a mug shot.

So an officer grabbed his hair and held his head up for his booking photo.

Payne, by the way, was charged with public intoxication.

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HPD: Drug suspects lead police on chase

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- An undercover sting led to a chase through several Houston neighborhoods overnight.

It started on Katy Freeway near T.C. Jester and ended when authorities caught up with the suspects on Memorial near Shepherd.

Police say undercover officers were selling drugs to people but when they tried to arrest three suspects they took off in a car. The suspects eventually bailed out at an apartment complex but they were caught a short time later.

All three face felony evading and drug charges.

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Police fatally shoot armed man in Baytown

  By Crystal KobzaBAYTOWN, TX (KTRK) -- A violent confrontation inside a Baytown apartment complex led to a chase and then a gun battle in the road, ultimately ending with the suspect dead.

Baytown police shot and killed that armed suspect during a shoot-out in the middle of the day on Thursday. It happened at the intersection of Decker and Airhart, near Spur 330.

Police have identified the suspect as Frederick Wayne Grayson. Police say Grayson, 45, was threatening to kill himself before shooting at the four officers.

Eyewitness Joshua Walter said, "I heard her scream. I told the manager to make sure she was OK."

Residents living at a Baytown apartment complex say they heard what sounded like gunshots go off inside this apartment.

"I was telling the people to get out of the way because I don't know where the bullets are going to go when it does," said eyewitness Lee McDowell.

According to police, after Grayson left, the women living in the apartment called police for help. A short time later an officer patrolling the area witnessed the suspect's vehicle speeding down east Texas Avenue.

"He tried to stop the vehicle, unbeknownst to him this vehicle was directly involved in the initial shooting," said Eric Freed with the Baytown Police Department.

Police say as Grayson was entering Spur 330 he crashed into another car, sending the driver into the wall. The suspect then came to a stop on the side of the spur where officers approached the vehicle believing the suspect may have shot himself in the car.

Freed explained, "During the pursuit officers observed the suspect hold a firearm to his head."

But as officer got closer to the suspect's vehicle, they saw Grayson was pointing his gun at the window, ready to shoot.

"The suspect started firing his weapon through the driver's side window at the officers, he then sat up and leaned out the driver's side window, pointed his weapon at our officers and discharged his firearm," Freed said.

It was then that officers returned fire, shooting and killing Grayson. The four officers were not injured.

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Ex-Houston police officer found guilty of aggravated sex assault of woman in 2011

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A jury Thursday afternoon handed down a guilty verdict in the rape trial of a former Houston police officer.

Jurors deliberated for a total of about eight hours before finding former HPD officer Abraham Joseph guilty on two counts of aggravated sexual assault -- the most serious of three possible charges he faced.

"We the jury find the defendant Abraham Joseph guilty of aggravated sexual assault by a public servant," read the judge.

The jury's verdict is a victory for Joseph's victim, who had difficulty containing her emotions. We spoke with her through a translator outside the courtroom.

"I just told the truth," she said.

On the other side of the courtroom, an equally emotional woman, Abraham Joseph's wife, buried her head sobbed. Her husband, a former Houston police officer, is now a convicted felon. In January 2011, prosecutors say Joseph raped a cantina waitress while he was on duty and in uniform. A second woman testified during the trial he did the same thing to her.

"I think the judge's decision to allow this witness was appropriate. This person's incident with the officer was very similar to the case, remarkably similar," said KTRK Legal Analyst Joel Androphy.

In all, jurors deliberated for seven and a half hours. They had two legal questions about DNA evidence and the definition of aggravated sexual assault. They also asked to see five pieces of evidence. All signs that could have appeared to favor the defense.

In the end, jurors believed the victim's story. She proclaimed her thanks.

"I am very pleased because justice has been made," she said.

Jurors were asked to consider three different types of charges: aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, or improper sexual activity with someone in custody.

There are five women and seven men on this jury and their work is not done as they've moved into the punishment phase.

Joseph faces five years to life in prison on each count, and he could be eligible for parole.

So far during the punishment phase, jurors heard from three more cantina waitresses who say Joseph sexually assaulted them as well.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest in this case.

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Police: Roommate admits killing man found in blanket

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There's an investigation underway into the death of a person at an apartment complex in northwest Harris County.

At about 11pm Thursday, deputies with the Harris County Sheriff's Office responded to a call for the Timber Walk Apartments at 5635 Timber Creek Place Drive in reference to a welfare check. Deputies arrived and found a male body in a blanket inside one of the apartments.

Police say the female roommate admitted to stabbing the man. The investigation is ongoing. No names have been released at this time.

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Tip leads police to donation theft suspect

  PASADENA, TX (KTRK) -- A man who police say admits to having stolen donations for funeral expenses was located, thanks to an alert TV viewer.

Team members at Sudie's Catfish Restaurant in Pasadena decided to help when the son of one of their employees was murdered in gang violence in El Salvador.

"We were collecting money to help with the funeral expenses and also for a couple of their family members who are still there," Sudie's employee Bonnie Williams said.

Employees held car washes and bake sales and they had a donation jar at the checkout that had grown due to the generosity of customers.

But on Wednesday afternoon, a man who was caught on camera grabbed the donation jar as well as a tip jar at the counter.

After the story aired on abc13 on Wednesday evening, Pasadena police received a tip call with a name of a possible suspect. Officers arrested Jordan Alexander Ybarra on an unrelated warrant, and while questioning him, they say he admitted taking the donation and tip jars.

Ybarra, 21, has been charged with theft.

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