An armed man has been taken into custody after holding SWAT officers at bay for hours in Bellaire.
Police say at 8:30 a.m., a Bellaire officer tried to stop the suspect for a traffic violation. The suspect fired two shots at the patrol car, hitting the windshield. The officer was not injured.
The suspect took off and abandoned his vehicle in the area of Fournace at the West Loop. Police say the suspect fired at least one more shot at officers.
Surrounded by police, the man then ran onto the front porch of a home on Tamarisk and held a gun to his head.
Police say there wasn’t anyone else in the home where the man is continuing to hold police at bay.
Houston police SWAT officers brought in an armored vehicle and hostage negotiation team to assist.
HPD SWAT and Hostage Negotiation Team responding to an assist call from @bellairepd for a armed suspect at 4800 Tamarisk. HPD PIO en route #hounews
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) August 10, 2018
Police spoke with the man over a PA system. They say he refused to put the gun down and surrender.
The 4800 block of Tamarisk was closed to the public during the incident. Residents were asked to stay in their homes until the suspect was taken into custody.
Neighbor Harold Goldeberg told ABC13 he heard gunshots around 8:45 a.m.
“(The police) have called my house three times telling us to stay away from the windows, doors and do not go outside — it’s a fluid situation — until the emergency is over,” he said.
