BELLAIRE, Texas – An armed suspect was taken into custody Friday following an almost four-hour standoff with police in a Bellaire neighborhood near the West Loop.
Police say the suspect was holding a gun to his head while he was holed up on a front porch of a home in the 4200 block of Tamarisk.
There were two people in the home when the standoff started. SWAT officers were able to help them escape through the back of the home.
Other nearby homes with residents were also evacuated by police.
Bellaire Police say it started around 8:30 a.m. when a patrol officer attempted to stop a suspect for a traffic violation. The suspect fired two shots at the officer, striking the windshield.
The officer returned fire, but was not injured in the exchange of gunfire.
Police said the suspect abandoned his vehicle and fled to the area of Fournace and the West Loop. He then fired at least one more shot at officers.
The suspect found himself surrounded by police while he was on a porch of a home in the 4800 block of Tamarisk. That is when the standoff began.
SWAT and negotiation teams from the Houston Police Department were called to the scene to assist Bellaire PD.
HPD SWAT say they used some non-lethal munitions to subdue the suspect before taking him into custody.
There appeared to be some damage near the front door of the home. It is not clear at this time if it came from when SWAT took the suspect into custody or if the suspect tried to shoot the door opened.