HOUSTON – A Houston police officer fired a shot at a knife-wielding robbery suspect Sunday, police said.
Officers took the man into custody. He did not sustain any injuries in the shooting.
The incident began at approximately 11 a.m. when officers were called to a meat market in the 9500 block of Richmond Avenue. Employees there reported that a man with a knife tried to steal cash from the tip jar, said Belinda Null, assistant chief of the Houston Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Command.
The employees left the store and locked the man inside.
Officers entered the store and told the man to lie on the ground. The man refused and attempted to flee the store. Though an officer discharged a Taser at the man, the device was ineffective due to the amount of clothing the suspect was wearing, Null said.
When the man ran at the officers with the knife, one officer fired a single shot at him, missing him, Null said. The man sprinted out of the store. Following a brief chase, officers took him into custody.
No one was injured in the incident, Null said.
The officer who fired at the suspect is described as a 10-year veteran of the force.
HPD’s Special Investigations Unit and Internal Affairs Division are investigating the case. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is conducting its own parallel investigation into the incident.