CHAMBERS COUNTY, Texas — A suspect is dead following a chase that began late Thursday morning in northeast Harris County and ended in Chambers County.
The suspect was initially wounded after he opened fire on a Harris County deputy constable before he fled toward Chambers County.
The chase ended along Interstate 10 at Jenkins Road after the suspect’s vehicle wrecked out. The man was still firing shots at officers after he crashed according to a tweet from Harris County Sherriff Ed Gonzalez.
A Facebook post from the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office reported just before 12:30 p.m. that deputies and troopers were at a major wreck following a pursuit.
The post also said that life flight had been called to the scene at Interstate 10 and Jenkins Road. The wreck forced the closure of all eastbound lanes of the interstate until two lanes were reopened at about 1:45 p.m. according to the post.
The suspect was shot and taken to the hospital by helicopter where he died, Gonzalez confirmed.
Photos from the scene showed a wrecked pickup truck as well as a wrecked DPS vehicle.
The incident began earlier in the morning not far from the Sheldon area in northeast Harris County.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office tweeted earlier that Pct. 3 Deputy Constables went to a home where there was an armed, barricaded suspect.
There was a deputy who was unable to leave the scene while the suspect remained barricaded but eventually sheriff's office deputies were able to safely remove the deputy and another person who was trapped inside the home with the suspect.
The suspect allegedly fired at law enforcement and then fled the property.
Gonzalez tweeted law enforcement suffered minor injuries as well.
Two air ambulances were seen landing at the scene in Harris County just after noon time.
"Our team acted swiftly and was able to safely remove the deputy and another person from the home," Gonzalez tweeted.
Gonzalez tweeted that the suspect may have fled in a vehicle toward Chambers County, resulting in an "active search."
The Harris County Sheriff's office did not immediately indicate who shot the suspect, however.
From a Chambers County Sheriff's Office Facebook post:
Chambers County Sheriffs Office and Texas DPS are on scene of major accident following a pursuit on IH-10 just west of Jenkins Road. Life flight has responded to the scene. All East bound traffic is shut down at this time while Deputies and Troopers work the scene. Anyone traveling through the area should try to avoid IH-10 and find an alternate route.
