Authorities in Texas are searching for a suspect who reportedly rammed into a news van that he tried to carjack before taking off in a police cruiser.
KPRC reporter Sofia Ojeda said she and her photographer, Damon Sales, were en route to cover a story Monday morning when they stopped at the Houston intersection of Texas and Chartes. While they were stopped, a car allegedly sideswiped their news van and the car’s driver tried to carjack them.
“He said, ‘I’m stealing your vehicle. I’m stealing your vehicle,'” Sales recalled. “He tried to pull me out. We’re buckled in, and he’s like, ‘Get out! Get out! Get out!'”
Houston police Lieutenant Larry Crowson told the Houston Chronicle that two officers were putting a juvenile offender in a patrol car when they saw the suspect attacking the pair inside their news van. He said the officers intervened, leading the suspect to assault them before driving off with their patrol car.
The suspect allegedly dragged an officer for a short distance as he drove off. KPRC reported that he traveled for a few blocks before stopping to let the 16-year-old out the cruiser. The juvenile reportedly flagged down another officer moments later.
Law enforcement located the patrol car an hour later in some woods near Produce Row and Old Spanish Trail. The officer who was dragged suffered minor injuries, according to the news station. Ojeda and Sales were taken to the hospital for evaluation.
[Featured image: KPRC video screengrab]
