Bystander, 3 teen suspects injured when shootout erupts between customer, armed robbers at gas station near South Loop

HOUSTON – Multiple suspects and an innocent bystander were injured during a robbery that turned into a shooting at a gas station near the South Loop Thursday night.

The incident took place at the Circle K Valero convenience store at around 8:09 p.m. in the 8000 block of S Loop near Broadway.

According to Houston police, five suspects between the ages of 15-18 arrived at the gas station and four entered the building while the other person remained behind the wheel.

Houston police officers say the four suspects who entered the store with face masks on began demanding customers’ belongings at gunpoint.

That’s when a 22-year-old customer inside the store pulled out his own firearm and began shooting at the suspects. The customer wasn’t injured in the incident, police said.

Gunfire was exchanged and three out of the four suspects were hit by bullets, HPD said.

Additionally, a 46-year-old man who did not have a weapon was also struck by gunfire. That bystander was transported to the hospital and was said to be in stable condition. It was not immediately known if the bystander was shot by a suspect or the armed customer.

Police took another person into custody, believed to be the fifth suspect, who was waiting outside.

They added that one out of the three injured suspects, age 18, was taken to the hospital in critical condition and the other two, ages 15 and 17, are stable.

“Since I’ve been here, this is the second time the store has been robbed like that,” employee Nico Lascossio said. “It’s mainly because of the location. It’s horrible but there’s not much we can do about it, aside from having a police officer out here.”

According to HPD’s crime map on their website, 27 crimes have been reported in the past month within a mile radius of the store, including aggravated assault, burglaries, and car theft.

Official charges have not been filed at this time. It is not known if the customer who fired his weapon will face any charges.