HOUSTON – A man has been charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and unlawful carrying of a weapon after police say he shot a tow truck driver he was attempting to rob in east Houston last month.
ARRESTED: Zachary M. Smith, 31, now charged with agg. robbery w/ deadly weapon in Feb. 7 shooting of a man at 2025 Broadway St.
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) March 9, 2022
Smith is also charged with additional felony crimes committed while out on bond.
Details at https://t.co/mGJOpERGzU #OneSafeHouston #HouNews pic.twitter.com/jmE24I8Gsm
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According to officials from the Houston Police Department, 31-year-old Zachary M. Smith approached two tow truckers who were at a car wash in the 2000 block of Broadway Street at around 11:40 p.m. on Feb. 7.
One of the truckers was identified as 40-year-old Jimmy Alvarado.
Police say as Alvarado stepped out of his tow truck, Smith, who was masked and armed, approached him and demanded he didn’t move. Alvarado immediately reached for his own gun, prompting Smith to open fire. During the exchange of gunfire, Alvarado was shot in his stomach. He was transported to the hospital, and later released.
Smith, who was unharmed, hopped into the passenger side of a gray SUV and fled the scene.
The other passenger in the tow truck, who police only described as a 44-year-old man, followed the getaway vehicle until it came to a stop near Crestmont Street and the South Loop East service road. That man fired several shots at the vehicle, but again, Smith was unharmed and managed to get away a second time.
The man in the tow truck was able to give responding HPD patrol officers a description of the vehicle and its last known location.
Officers in the area were able to locate the bullet-ridden vehicle Smith was traveling in and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. A police chase began, with the suspects ramming the officer’s vehicle. When the vehicle stopped, Smith hopped out and took off running.
Smith was captured, with the help from HPD K-9 units, and placed under arrest.
He was initially charged with felony evading and aggravated assault of a public servant and released on bond while the shooting of Alvarado remained under investigation. More charges were filed in the shooting on March 6, but records show Smith had another run-in with the law in between.
While out on bond, Smith was arrested again on Feb. 22 on unrelated felony charges.
It is unclear if another bond amount has been set for Smith.
The identity of his alleged accomplice, the getaway driver, has not yet been released.