HUMBLE, Texas – A Humble man who shot at police and endangered civilians during a 37-mile chase in southwest Houston was sentenced to 37 years in prison, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Monday.
“We are all lucky no one was hurt during this 37-mile chase or the brazen shots being fired at civilians and a peace officer,” Ogg said. “We stand by our partners in law enforcement because an attack on a police officer is an attack on our community.”
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Last week, prosecutors said Milton Callahan, 47, was found guilty of aggravated assault of a public servant for shooting a police vehicle three times, narrowly missing a Houston Police Department officer who was driving on the Southwest Freeway in the Upper Kirby area on Sept. 19, 2020.
On Friday, in addition to the lengthy prison sentence, jurors added a $100,000 fine. Callahan must serve at least half of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Assistant District Attorney Kelly Marshall noted that Callahan had been in trouble with the law before but had been given several “second chances.” He had been arrested previously for unlawful possession of a firearm and for evading police.
“This defendant has had every opportunity to turn his life around,” Marshall said. “It’s staggering when you think about all the people who could have been killed because of this defendant and this chase. Thank goodness no one died.”
What happened
Humble police first approached Callahan about 9:30 p.m. as he sat behind the wheel of a black GMC Yukon while wearing a mask in a parking lot near a residential area, according to prosecutors. A concerned father said he noticed Callahan taking photos of his pre-teen children. As police arrived at the residence and tried to speak with Callahan, he sped off, clipping the side of a business as he fled. He then refused to pull over.
Callahan led police vehicles on a 37-mile chase from Humble through Houston. As Callahan passed the Newcastle exit on U.S. 59, he passed an HPD officer driving a Dodge Charger. Callahan fired two shots into the passenger-side door of the Charger and a third shot through the back passenger window. That bullet hit the cage in the back of the police car, authorities said.
That officer then joined the chase following Callahan, who ran a civilian car into a wall. The car caught fire, but the family in the car managed to escape.
Prosecutors said Callahan finally crashed at Fondren at Willowbend. He then tried to run away but was arrested after a brief chase. In his SUV, police found a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and multiple spent shell casings. Callahan’s girlfriend, who was also in the SUV, told police that she was begging him to stop and that he knew he was shooting at a police car. She said he was shooting at her and civilian cars as well.