HOUSTON – A man accused of dragging an off-duty officer through a Home Depot parking lot Wednesday morning appeared before a judge Friday.
Euless Robert Pettus, 47, was taken into custody Thursday and charged with aggravated assault against a public servant and evading arrest/detention with a vehicle.
The bond for the evading charge, which is a third-degree felony, has been set at $25,000, and the judge placed a $100,000 bond for the aggravated assault.
Investigators said the off-duty Houston Police Department officer, who was working a second job at the store while wearing her uniform, discharged her weapon at Pettus who was trying to flee from a business located at 6810 Gulf Freeway near Woodridge around 10:30 a.m.
According to police, Pettus tried to leave the store without paying for items that were in his basket. When approached by store employees, officers said the suspect got into an altercation with the store’s loss prevention team before attempting to flee in his vehicle.
HPD’s assistant chief Patricia Cantu said when the off-duty officer approached the suspect, he got into his vehicle and started reversing while the officer was still in his doorway. Cantu said the officer was dragged about 100 feet before she discharged her weapon and the suspect hit another vehicle.
The officer involved in the shooting is expected to be okay.
According to court documents, Pettus has a lengthy criminal record.