HOUSTON – Bond was set at $1,150,000 Monday for a 19-year-old who led Houston police officers on a chase, which ended in a crash, after allegedly fatally shooting a man at a gathering in another county.
Spencer Orlando Gilbert was charged with evading arrest, aggravated kidnapping and unlawful carrying of a weapon.
The deadly chain of events began in Johnson County on Saturday night but ended in Houston on Sunday morning.
According to Lt. Joel Garcia with the Houston Police Department, HPD units received reports around 11:30 a.m. of a possible kidnapping and hostage situation that happened near Almeda and Southmore Boulevard.
Officers spotted the suspected vehicle in the area of West Alabama and Sage Road, and a pursuit began.
The driver lost control of the vehicle, which crashed near the intersection of Richmond Ave. and Yorktown.
That is when the driver, later identified as Gilbert, hopped out and fled on foot. He was apprehended nearby.
Police said an 18-year-old passenger remained inside the vehicle. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. It was initially believed the passenger was the hostage.
According to charging documents listing Gilbert’s kidnapping offense, Gilbert “did then and there unlawfully and knowingly abduct [the hostage] without his consent, with the intent to prevent his liberation by using deadly force, namely, a firearm.”
Documents further stated Gilbert took the hostage because he was a witness to a murder that occurred in Johnson County the previous night.
In that incident, a fight broke out at a party, which led to Ja’den Blake Moblin being shot multiple times, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
Moblin was rushed to a hospital where he later died. According to a gofundme set up to assist with funeral arrangements, Moblin was kept on life support while his body was prepared for organ donation.
After his death, charges were expected to be upgraded against his killer, and the investigation continues as to how many people could be held responsible.
An update provided by Johnson County Sheriff Adam King on Monday stated that the passenger was not a hostage, and rather a second suspect connected to the deadly shooting.
Authorities said the murder weapon was found inside the vehicle Gilbert and his passenger were traveling in.