By Mitchell Willetts
Source The Charlotte Observer
Three days after a Texas man was shot twice in the chest at a Houston gas station, he slipped out of the hospital and led police on a wild and dangerous chase, officials said.
According to the Houston Police Department, the suspect — still wearing his hospital gown and armband — left the hospital Monday night, stole an Uber driver’s Toyota SUV parked outside, and drove off.
Around 11 p.m., Houston police responded to a Chevron gas station on the southwest side of town where a GPS tracking system inside the stolen SUV had pinged, Houston Cmdr. Reece Hardy said. It was the same gas station where the suspect had been shot just a few days earlier.
Officers spotted the vehicle, but it sped away when they tried to pull it over, and they followed in pursuit, Hardy said.
After about 30 minutes of chasing the Toyota, the suspect suddenly stopped at an intersection, then reversed into a patrol car behind him, police said. He put the SUV back into drive and crashed into a civilian’s vehicle, Hardy said.
The chase continued for a few more minutes until the suspect bailed out and ran on foot, Hardy said. He made it about 50 yards before police caught up with him.
Almost as soon as officers had him in handcuffs, they noticed he was “in distress and not breathing,” according to Hardy. The suspect was taken to a hospital, where he is in stable condition.
It wasn’t until after the chase that investigators realized the suspect was the victim from a shooting that occurred three days prior.
“It’s pretty amazing that he was doing all of this, and leading officers on a chase, with two bullet holes in his chest just from two or three days ago,” Hardy said.
Police did not share the suspect’s identity but said he is facing felony charges accusing him of evading police and stealing a vehicle.
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