HOUSTON – A manhunt is underway Tuesday for a robbery suspect accused of stabbing a Houston police K-9 on Jan. 22.
Ryan Mitchell Smith, 26, was charged with evading arrest, robbery with bodily injury, and interference with a police service animal. Smith’s bond was set at $50,000. He was due in court on Monday morning.
After bonding out of jail Sunday, Smith was being followed by homicide investigators with the Houston Police Department.
Police said around 12:10 a.m. the suspect was being followed inbound on Katy Freeway when they requested marked patrol units to stop the pickup truck he was in. The suspect led officers on a 10-minute pursuit before crashing on the Houston Polo Grounds located at 8552 Memorial Dr., investigators said. The suspect then fled into the woods while police searched for over two hours. Police said the suspect has not been found.
Deputies from Precinct 5 and Harris County Sheriff’s Office brought in drones to assist in the search.
Investigators said a loaded firearm was also recovered inside the front of the pickup truck the suspect was in.
Officials with the Houston Forensic Science Center went to the location to process and document the truck.
RELATED LINKS
HPD police dog stabbed by robbery suspect with butcher knife is out of surgery, officers say