HISD police officer beaten at convenience store

Anthony Prince, 41, was off-duty and not in uniform at the time of the incident

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- An HISD police officer was beaten in front of a gas station after he says he tried to defend a homeless man last night, police say.

Anthony Prince, 41, was not in uniform when he went inside the Shell station off the West Loop and Westheimer near the Galleria. Houston police spokesperson Jody Silva says Prince told them another man came into the store and started to give a homeless guy inside 'a hard time.'

Prince says he told the man to leave the homeless guy alone, and that's when the man got in the officer's face. The two men got into a fight that spilled out into the parking lot.

But police are trying to sort out differing accounts of the event. Silva says the homeless man told officers that Prince and the man fought after the suspect became agitated that he couldn't find a cashier to check him out. The homeless man reported that the cashier was in the restroom at the time. According to Houston police, the cashier happens to be Prince's mother.

Witnesses say the man had the upper hand in the fight and punched Prince several times before running away. Prince was taken to the Southwest Memorial Hospital and is listed as stable.

Police are still investigating the incident.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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'Merry Christmas' gunman robs convenience store

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Crime Stoppers and investigators with the Harris County Sheriff's Office are seeking the public's assistance identifying the suspect wanted for an aggravated robbery which occurred on December 19.

At approximately 3:55am on Monday, December 19, a man entered the convenience store located on the 12300 block of Eastex Freeway. The suspect immediately proceeded to the restroom located at the rear of the store.

According to Crime Stoppers, after exiting the restroom, the suspect approached the checkout counter. As the clerk asked the suspect if he needed help, he withdrew a pistol, pointed it at the two store employees behind the counter and demanded cash from the registers.

Fearing for their lives, the victims surrendered an undisclosed amount of cash to the suspect. As he exited the store, the suspect reportedly stopped, turned and said, "Y'all have a Merry Christmas."

While fleeing through the parking lot, the suspect pointed the pistol at several patrons, and left the scene on foot prior to the arrival of sheriff's deputies.

The suspect is described as a black male, 20-30 years old, 5'7"-5'9", weighing 150-160 pounds with a thin build. At the time of the offense, he was wearing a white thermal long sleeve shirt, a baseball cap, black pants and darks shoes.

In another case, on December 21, at approximately 12:35am, a man entered the gas station located on the 10800 block of Eastex Freeway. The suspect proceeded to a cooler located in the rear of the store, selected a beverage, and then proceeded to check out.

The female victim reports that as she began to ring up the suspect, he withdrew a pistol from his waistband and aimed it at her, Crime Stoppers said. He told the victim he was not paying for the drink, and demanded cash from within the register. After her life was threatened, the victim surrendered an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect fled the scene on foot prior to the arrival of sheriff's deputies.

The suspect in this case is also described as a black male, 20-30 years old, 5'7"-5'9", weighing 150-160 pounds with a thin build. At the time of the offense he was wearing a white shirt, knitted watch-cap, black and white sweat pants and dark shoes.

Crime Stoppers investigators are not yet saying if these two cases are linked.

Anyone with information about the identity of the suspect is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for any information called in to the 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org that leads to the filing of felony charges or arrest of the suspect in this case. Tips can also be sent by text message. Text TIP610 plus your tip to CRIMES (274637). All tipsters remain anonymous.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Crime Tracker »

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2 arrested, 3 at large after convenience store robbery

  CHANNELVIEW, TX (KTRK) -- Five suspects in were involved in one robbery. Right now, two are in custody but Harris County deputies say three remain at large.

Deputies say the five men walked into the Super Quick on Woodforest near Dell Dale around 11:45pm Friday. Workers at the store and neighbors say they are on high alert right now knowing three of those masked gunmen are still on the streets.

"They said, 'Give me more money, more money or I'm going to shoot you,'" said store clerk Heumyun Ahmed.

Ahmed and his cousin were just about to close the place when five masked gunmen rushed inside demanding money and threatening to kill the clerks.

A quick-thinking customer alerted deputies to the robbery but not before the gunmen locked Ahmed and his cousin in the store's restroom. Those robbers ran off.

Deputies say they were able to apprehend one suspect who was hiding under a car at a nearby auto shop. Another was found trying to hide under a rubber mat at a home.

Ahmed says he recognized one of the thieves as a regular customer.

"We said to them, 'Don't shoot me. I have a child. Don't shoot me. Whatever you need, just take it,'" said Ahmed.

There is no word on what they took, and officials have not released descriptions of the three suspects who escaped.

Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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