HOUSTON – A disagreement between roommates prompted a SWAT situation in Westchase Thursday, according to Houston police.
It happened at a home in the 9600 block of Val Verde at Tanglewilde. Police said they received a call around 11 a.m. regarding a burglary.
Police said one man had recently moved out of the home and was trying to retrieve some of his things when, at some point, he caused damage to the garage door with a vehicle. He and the other roommate, who was inside the house, then exchanged gunfire.
Police thought the second roommate, who has an open warrant out for his arrest for a parole violation, was barricaded inside, which promoted the standoff.
“We proceeded to treat this as a barricaded suspect,” said Commander M. Howard with Houston SWAT. “Someone with an open felony warrant and armed, we used caution and gave every opportunity for someone inside of the residence to come out. There was no response. We were able to gather additional information that the suspect may or may not in fact be in there.”
After the man failed to respond to orders, SWAT officers moved in and discovered the man was already gone.
“We carefully cleared the residence and found that he was in fact not here. He left in the short time between the call for service dropping and officers arriving. So at this point, the incident is under further investigation,” Howard said.
Police retrieved a shotgun from the vehicle of the roommate that was moving out. That man was detained. Officer said they were also able to identify a female witness on the scene that they believe may be connected to the incident.
No charges have been filed against either roommate at this time.
“We really need to get the other side of the story from the person who was inside of the house, who it’s just unclear at this point is he a suspect or a complaint,” Howard added. “The only thing we know is he has a warrant.”
Police said there is no immediate danger to the public.