BELLAIRE, Texas – Police have now identified the robbery suspect who was killed when his vehicle smashed into a Bellaire Starbucks during a police chase.
The incident happened at around noon Tuesday at the Starbucks at the intersection of South Rice and Bissonnet. Houston police said the suspect led police on a chase, when the driver eventually crashed into the side of the building.
The suspect, identified as Raymond Mathieu, died, according to police. No one inside the coffee shop was seriously hurt.
"I looked up and all I saw was a big old swarm of debris and everyone started screaming and hollering," said witness Daniel Bollar.
Police said Mathieu had robbed a Game Stop on Wesleyan and Bissonnet when the chase started.
Undercover officers noticed a suspicious man with several gaming systems leaving the store, police said, so they went inside and asked questions.
"The employee said, 'Yes, we just got robbed by a male with a mask and he took a number of gaming systems from this location," said John Cannon with the Houston Police Department.
A marked patrol car then tried to pull the gray Chevrolet Impala over, but the driver fled when he saw the lights and sirens. The driver ran the red light at the intersection, hit a white Honda Pilot, then hit a pedestrian walk sign, plants and a parked car before it crashed into the corner of the Starbucks and flipped over.
Mathieu, 24, was ejected from the Impala and pronounced dead at the scene.
The weapon was a BB gun, according to police.
Police believe he may be connected to several armed robberies of businesses in west and southwest Houston.
Court records show Mathieu was out on probation since August for burglary of a building. He was convicted of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon in 2007.
A woman driving the Honda sustained minor injuries. A man in the coffee shop sustained minor injuries when he was hit with flying glass and debris. He drove himself to a doctor to be treated.
The incident is under investigation by HPD.